NASCAR SPRINT CUP NEWS ARCHIVESEPTEMBER 2010

News from September 30, 2010

Activision and Eutechnyx announce NASCAR the Game 2011:Activision Publishing and leading independent developer Eutechnyx announced the February 2011 release of NASCAR The Game 2011 for Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation3 computer entertainment system, and Wii. With a fresh infusion of real world detail and blistering racing action, NASCAR The Game 2011 completely redefines what fans can expect from a NASCAR racing game.
NASCAR The Game 2011 has been built from the ground up to make a thoroughly new experience. The team started by speaking with the people who know NASCAR best - the fans - and took that insight to the teams, drivers and officials to completely embrace what makes NASCAR America's #1 motorsport.
Players can choose to play as themselves or as one of the sport's real-world drivers as they battle it out for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship. Each pro driver has the AI characteristics of his or her real world counterpart, setting the stage for intense rivalries played out on the track. Damage is meticulously detailed and multi-car wrecks are the most extreme ever experienced in an officially licensed racing game. From the 22 real world tracks to full pit stop strategy action, NASCAR The Game 2011 captures the real atmosphere, sense of speed and spectacle that embodies NASCAR. Players can even feel the thrill of a win with the interactive celebration mode.
The game also includes in-depth multiplayer modes which allow up to 16 players to battle it out for the win online. In both online and offline races, players earn NASCAR experience points which help unlock rewards such as decal packs or special car designs, as well as career sponsorships and special races throughout career mode. Everything you do on the track counts!
Tune in to NASCAR RaceDay on SPEED at 10:00am/et on Sunday October 3 for world premiere of the first official NASCAR The Game 2011 trailer. NASCAR The Game 2011 is slated for a February 2011 release. The game is not yet rated by the ESRB. For more information visit www.NASCARTheGame.com.(9-30-3010)

RCR Statement Regarding NASCAR Penalty Appeal Ruling: The following is a statement from Richard Childress, president and chief executive officer of Richard Childress Racing, regarding the September 29 decision of the NASCAR appeals committee to uphold the penalty on the #33 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team following the September 19 race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway:
"I am disappointed but not surprised by the decision knowing how the appeal system is structured. We proved beyond a reasonable doubt how the car was found to be out of tolerance after the race. Knowing how the system works, I brought a check with me to cover the cost of the appeal hearing and we have already submitted our request to appeal to the chief appellate officer. That being said, we will not let this be a distraction to the primary goal of one of our teams winning the Sprint Cup Series championship. We owe it to our fans and our sponsors to stay focused and bring the championship back to RCR. We will have no further comment on the matter until the appeal is final."(RCR)STATEMENT: See info on the appeal and the full NASCAR response / release to the penalty on my 2010 Penalty News Page.(9-30-2010)

Sad News - Charlie Selix: Charles Richard Selix, 81, of Farmington Hills, MI, Owner and Co-Owner of Roush
Protofab Racing with Jack Roush, Gary Pratt (Pratt & Miller Racing) and Bob Riley (Riley Technologies) and owner of Protofab Racing in the Trans-Am. IMSA and Indy Cars, passed away Tuesday evening, September 28, 2010, following complications from heart surgery. Past drivers for Selix's teams included Wally Dallenbach, Jr., who won two SCCA Trans-Am Championship titles, Willy T. Ribbs, Greg Pickett, Johnny Jones of Canada who won the IMSA GTO Championship, and Joe Ruttman in Late models in the early 70's and many more drivers. Mr. Selix is survived by eight children, 14 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. Two of his children worked in NASCAR: Gary Selix worked for DEI and the Woods Brothers, while Greg Selix work for JTG Racing. Both were factors in building the JTG Nationwide car driven by Marcos Ambrose to all wins in the Nationwide Series road courses races. Service info at phillipsfuneral.com.(9-30-2010)

Fairgrounds Speedway's final race Oct 2nd: The end of a historic era as the Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville will see the final flag waved on October 2nd, 2010. The Nashville All American event will be featured on Friday, October 1st and Saturday, October 2nd. The fairgrounds track opened as an asphalt speedplant in 1958. The first champion, Bob Reuther was lead by crew chief, Preacher Hamilton, grandfather of the late Bobby Hamilton, Sr., 2004 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion.
The Saturday event will be highlighted by induction of twelve greats to the Fairgrounds Speedway Hall of Fame. Gary Baker, co-owner of NASCAR Nationwide Series team Baker Curb Racing will be one of the twelve who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Baker was the leaseholder on two occasions at the fairgrounds. Doyle Ford, former chief starter for NASCAR Winston Cup will be inducted into the Hall of Fame during the 6pm ceremony. Baker and Ford will join two time Daytona 500 champion Sterling Marlin, the late Bobby Hamilton, Sr., and three time NASCAR Winston Cup champion Darrell Waltrip that have been named in previous years into the Hall of Fame. The fairgrounds facility hosted NASCAR Winston Cup events for 27 years from (1958 - 1984). The mayor of Nashville has made it plain that this will be the final event to be held at the historic Tennessee State Fairgrounds track.(Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville)(9-30-2010)

Fans Are Given Unprecedented Access to NASCAR Stars at Charlotte: NASCAR fans are clamoring for more chances to see their favorite drivers and Charlotte Motor Speedway is listening. Building on its Fans First philosophy, Charlotte Motor Speedway is providing an unprecedented number of opportunities for fans to get closer to the stars of their favorite sport during Bank of America 500 Week Oct. 14-16. Through a variety of ticket packages and free events, fans will see the following NASCAR drivers and legends:
- Richard Petty and Junior Johnson; Kasey Kahne; Kenny Wallace; Jamie McMurray; Jeff Burton; many Nationwide Series Drivers and other Top NASCAR StarsPRN Up To SPEED is the popular free fan forum that will take place at the SPEED stage, located at the speedway's main entrance, prior to the Bank of America 500 on Oct. 16. Several NASCAR stars are scheduled to join personalities from the Performance Racing Network for the 30 minute Q-and-A session. Tickets for all October races at Charlotte Motor Speedway can be purchased online at www.charlottemotorspeedway.com or by calling the speedway ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS (3267).(9-30-2010)

Martinsville Speedway Offering Lots Of Bargains: The TUMS Fast Relief 500, the only short-track stop in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, is just over a month away, but plenty of affordable ticket options remain for race fans. In fact, there is a ticket package or price to suit most every race fan’s needs. Check out some of Martinsville Speedway’s great ticket offers for the TUMS Fast Relief 500:
All-you-can-eat specials will be offered in two grandstands, the Clay Earles Tower and the backstretch seating, for the TUMS Fast Relief 500 on October 24. For $65, fans can get a seat in the Clay Earles Tower, rows 15-52, and an all-you-can-eat wristband that is good from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on race day. The price for a child 18 and under is $20.For just $35, fans can get a backstretch ticket and an all you can eat wristband. Both all-you-can-eat specials can be ordered by calling 877.RACE.TIX.
The $99 Family 4 Pack includes two adult tickets and two children’s tickets (18 and under) to the TUMS Fast Relief 500 along with vouchers for The Famous Martinsville Speedway Hot Dog™ (four), four Pepsi products and two khaki-colored Martinsville Speedway hats. The $99 Family 4 Pack seats are located in rows 6 through 14 of the Clay Earles Tower overlooking the second turn.
Backstretch seats are $25 along with the first five rows of seats in the Sprint Tower, the Clay Earles Tower and the South Annex. Seats in the Clay Earles Tower overlooking the second turn are $55. Children’s tickets in the Clay Earles Tower are only $10 when purchased with an adult ticket. All seats in Bill France Tower are $40. Seats in the Sprint Tower are $65.
Tickets for the TUMS Fast Relief 500 and the Kroger 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race may be purchased by calling 877.722.3849 (877.RACE.TIX) or by visiting www.martinsvillespeedway.com online.(Martinsville Speedway)(9-30-2010)

News from September 29, 2010

RCR's appeal of #33 penalty denied: The National Stock Car Racing Commission on Wednesday upheld NASCAR's punishment for the Sprint Cup team of Clint Bowyer. The governing body penalized Bowyer 150 points because the car that won the Chase opener at New Hampshire didn't meet specifications. Crew chief Shane Wilson was suspended for six weeks and fined $150,000. Richard Childress was docked 150 owner points. Childress said he was disappointed in the decision and plans to appeal to chief appellate officer John Middleton, who will have the final say. No date was given for that appeal. "We have proof," Childress said.
Childress brought in Dr. Charles Manning, who owns Accident Reconstruction Analysis in Raleigh, N.C. Manning said he has no doubt that Bowyer's car was knocked out of tolerance the sixty-thousands of an inch that NASCAR claimed by the wrecker that pushed it after it ran out of gas following the win. Manning said he duplicated the incident with a wrecker and car of the same specifications.
"They [the commission] paid no attention, which says something about what's going on in there," said Manning, noting his company, founded in 1979, has been used many times to prove cause in a court of law. "What we brought was positive proof that the damage was caused by the tow truck pushing the car." Manning was whisked away before further comment.
Bowyer had moved from 12th to second in points with the victory that ended an 88-race losing streak. The penalty knocked him from 35 points behind leader Denny Hamlin to 12th and 185 out. He finished 25th this past weekend at Dover to fall to 235 points out.
The three-member commission made its ruling after meeting with RCR and NASCAR officials at the Research and Development Center in Concord, N.C. The five-hours of deliberation took so long that Childress placed a sign in a window that said, "Order Pizza & Budweiser." Bowyer's team and Richard Childress Racing were warned on Tuesday after the car that finished sixth at Richmond to clinch a spot in the Chase barely passes inspection. The New Hampshire car passed post-race inspection at the track, but upon further review at the R&D Center they discovered issues with the back end tolerances. Childress claimed the illegal tolerance -- the car was too high in the back -- was the result of Bowyer's car being pushed by a wrecker.(ESPN)STATEMENT: See full NASCAR response / release to the penalty on my 2010 Penalty News Page.(9-29-2010)

RCR appeal to be heard on Wednesday: UPDATE 2: According to a tweet by Ramsey Poston, NASCAR's Communications Manger, "Appeal hearing for the #33 team is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 29.(9-25-2010)UPDATE: According to NASCAR, since 1999 there have been 132 appeals of penalties. The outcome? 88 were upheld (66%), 42 were reduced or overturned (32%) and 2 were increased (2%).(9-25-2010)UPDATE 2 - RCR makes case for Clint Bowyer: Richard Childress Racing is arguing to have #33-Clint Bowyer's 150-point penalty reversed before a NASCAR appeals committee. Bowyer and his RCR team were penalized last week when the car Bowyer drove to victory at New Hampshire failed inspection. The win came in the opening race of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship and pushed Bowyer to second in the standings, 35 points behind leader Denny Hamlin. The penalty dropped Bowyer to 12th in the standings, and he trails Hamlin by 235 points with eight Chase races remaining. RCR is appealing the decision to the National Stock Car Racing Appeals Panel [today]. The appeal is a longshot. According to NASCAR, of the 132 appeals heard in the past decade, 92 of those decisions were upheld. Only 10 penalties were overturned.(ESPN/AP)(9-29-2010)

Chase Suites to sponsor two teams at Kansas: Chase Suite Hotel, Overland Park, KS will be the home away from home for the teams of Tommy Baldwin Racing and Latitude 43 Motorsports. As part of the program, the Chase Suite logo will adorn the #36 Chevy for Tommy Baldwin Racing and the #26 Ford of Latitude 43 Motorsports in the running of the Price Chopper 400 at Kansas Speedway. The partnership is highlighted by a special autograph session in the hotel on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. as drivers #36-JJ Yeley and #26-Patrick Carpentier will be in attendance to greet fans and employees of the hotel during this appearance. The hotel is located across the street from the Overland Park Convention Center and the event is open to the public.(Chase Suite Overland Park/Integrity Sports Marketing)(9-29-2010)

Hamlin/Harvick make up: Sprint Cup points leader #11-Denny Hamlin and #29-Kevin Harvick have made peace.
Hamlin said during a Tuesday news conference promoting the October race at Charlotte Motor Speedway that he and the Richard Childress Racing driver talked on the phone and settled the issues that transpired last weekend at Dover. "We came to really quick terms that our friendship is solid," said Hamlin, noting Harvick is probably his closest friend away from the track. "Regardless of what happens on the racetrack, our friendship goes further than that. We do a lot for each other off the track and I feel that goes a long way."
It wasn't that way Saturday at Dover International Speedway. Harvick was angered by things Hamlin said about the RCR team of Clint Bowyer that was fined 150 championship points last week after NASCAR determined Bowyer's winning car at New Hampshire violated tolerances. "We talked and everything is good with us," Hamlin said. Hamlin admitted he may have said too much during his Friday news conference when he attacked Bowyer's team. He said the plan entering the media center was to avoid questions about the situation, but when told Bowyer referred to his car and Johnson's having to go through post-race height inspection twice the previous week at New Hampshire, Hamlin threw caution to the wind. Hamlin said he knew when he left the interview that he'd stirred things up. He wasn't surprised when Gibbs and team president J.D. Gibbs called to tell him he said too much. "It is hard for me not to say what's on my mind at times," Hamlin said. "Joe kind of explained that to me. Not everybody needs to hear what you have to say when you think things are going wrong. I kind of understand that." Hamlin said Joe and J.D. Gibbs were calm. Crew chief Mike Ford, who called his remarks against Bowyer's team "stupid," was not. "Mike wasn't laughing at all," Hamlin said. "Obviously, he's a deflection type guy. He figures we have enough within that race team as far as what we need to do to stay focused to win a championship. We don't need to make our jobs any harder. He told me we made our jobs harder, and I definitely can't disagree with that."(ESPN.com)(9-29-2010)

Special schemes for Truex Jr. & NAPA: NAPA Auto Parts and driver Martin Truex Jr. are teaming up with Susan G. Komen for the Cure to honor breast cancer victims, survivors and supporters during this weekend's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Kansas Speedway. To kick off the campaign, Truex will drive the #56 NAPA All Out for the Cure Toyota to raise awareness of NAPA's efforts which consists of two special paint schemes and initiatives. NAPA Auto Parts is inviting fans to honor loved ones affected by breast cancer by placing their name on the NAPA Signature Toyota to raise funds. From now to Oct. 11, consumers can submit the names by making a minimum donation of $5.60 via the NAPA Know How Facebook page at www.facebook.com/napaknowhow. The NAPA Signature Toyota will race at the Nov. 7 AAA 500 at Texas Motor Speedway (MWR), see images of the car on my #56 Team Schemes page.(9-29-2010)

Chase stats going in to Kansas: #48-Jimmie Johnson's win at Dover catapulted him from 6th to 2nd in the 2010 Chase standings. It was Johnson's 19th win in 62 Chase races, a sizzling 31% rate. The next best win rate is #99-Carl Edwards, who has 6 wins in 42 Chase races.(Note only counting wins for drivers in the years they were in the Chase field). #16-Greg Biffle (-140), #14-Tony Stewart (-162), #17-Matt Kenseth (-165) and #33-Clint Bowyer (-235) are all in trouble early in the Chase. Only Johnson has overcome a triple-digit deficit after two races to win the title. In 2006, Johnson was in eighth, down 136 points after Dover. He went on to win his first championship. See more stats after Dover on my Chase stats after Dover page and see Chase history, news and more on my 2010 Chase News and Rules page.(9-29-2010)

Blaney back in the #38: Dave Blaney returns to drive the #38 A&W All American Food Ford at Kansas Speedway this week, driving the Front Row Motorsports car for the second time this season. He and the A&W team look to qualify the #38 Fusion on speed for Sunday's Price Chopper 400. Always a strong qualifier, Blaney successfully put the same car in the race at Atlanta Motor Speedway earlier this month in his first run with Front Row. Travis Kvapil is in the #34 Long John Silver's Ford and David Gilliland is in the #37 Taco Bell Ford this week at Kansas for Front Row Racing.(Breaking Limits)(9-29-2010)

#18 Crew Captures Tissot Pit Road Award at Dover: Kyle Busch’s pit crew claimed the Tissot Pit Road Precision Award in Sunday’s AAA 400 Sprint Cup race at Dover. It was the third Tissot win of the season for the #18 crew, which moved into a three-way tie for second place in the Tissot standings. Jeff Gordon’s No. 24 crew continues to lead with four wins. The weekly-winning crew receives $5,000 from Tissot plus a Tissot V8 Quartz Chronograph watch. The team with the most Tissot Pit Road Precision Award wins at the completion of the 36-race schedule will receive a $105,000 bonus plus Tissot watches for the over-the-wall crew members and driver. The Joe Gibbs Racing team finished 1-2-3 in the Tissot pit road competition in Dover with Busch’s #18 Interstate Batteries Toyota spending the least amount of time on pit road – 254.478 seconds. Denny Hamlin’s #11 FedEx Toyota was second (255.463) and coming in third was Joey Logano’s #20 Home Depot Toyota (257.578).
The #18 over-the-wall crew consists of: Nick Odell (front-tire changer), Brad Donaghy (front-tire carrier), Jake Seminara (rear-tire changer), Kenny Barber (rear-tire carrier), Jeff Fender (jackman), Tom Lampe (gasman), Jason Hinson (catch can). The team’s pit crew coach is Mike Lepp and the crew chief is Dave Rogers (Tissot), see standings and race by race winner on my 2010 Pit Crew News page.(9-29-2010)

Pocono Raceway Offers Dream Machine Recycling to Local Residents: During the recent Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 race weekend, Pocono Raceway kicked off a new recycling program with PepsiCo and Waste Management.
Pocono Raceway, in its effort to become the world's first, truly "green" sports facility, has a three megawatt solar farm in operation, and was the first raceway to be part of the PepsiCo Dream Machine program. With this program, Dream Machine bins and kiosks were located throughout the Grandstand and Infield to make it easier for race fans to recycle bottles and cans that, otherwise, might have been thrown away. Pocono Raceway now invites local residents and guests to participate in the PepsiCo Dream Machine program. The Raceway placed a Dream Machine kiosk near the ticket office entrance, which is located on Long Pond Rd, and is available to the general public 24/7. With each can or bottle recycled in the kiosk, PepsiCo will make a donation to the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans (EBV) which provides job training and guidance to disabled veterans to help them pursue their dreams of starting their own businesses. In addition, Raceway recyclers can also earn points for each item recycled, redeemable for rewards at Greenopolis.com.
Pocono Raceway plans to continue the PepsiCo Dream Machine program for its two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race weekends in 2011. The Pocono 500, June 10-12 and the Pennsylvania 500 August 5-7. For more information about the Dream Machine program or for 2011 ticket information call 1-800 RACEWAY (1-800-722-3929) of visit poconoraceway.com.(9-29-2010)

NASCAR Green Clean Air Tree Planting Project Plants 100 Trees: NASCAR, Daytona International Speedway and International Speedway Corporation joined forces with nearby Flagler County as the beneficiary of NASCAR’s Green Clean Air tree planting project – one of the newest pro-environment community outreach programs developed by America’s most popular motorsport.
The NASCAR Green Clean Air tree planting initiative will plant 10 trees for every green flag that waves during a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event. There were 10 green flags at the recent Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola on July 3 and 100 trees are being planted at four Flagler County public schools. The NASCAR Clean Air conversation program neutralizes the carbon produced by race events.
On Monday, September 20th, the program began as 80 NASCAR, International Speedway Corporation, Daytona International Speedway and Americrown employees planted 25 trees each at Matanzas High School, Indian Trails Middle School, Belle Terre Elementary School and Buddy Taylor Middle School. International Speedway Corporation President John Saunders, Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood and Mike Lynch, Managing Director of Green Innovation for NASCAR, participated in a tree planting ceremony on Monday at Indian Trails Middle School. The trees used for this program were purchased locally from Nature Scapes of Flagler County.(DIS)(9-29-2010)

News from September 28, 2010

Dover TV Ratings: ESPN's live telecast of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway on Sunday earned a final national household coverage rating of 2.8 (2.4 U.S. rating), averaging 3,965,722 viewers. Last year's race aired on ABC and earned a 3.1 U.S. rating [with 5.08 million viewers].
ESPN2's live telecast of Saturday's NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Dover earned a final national household coverage rating of 1.2, the same rating earned for last year's race that also aired on ESPN2. The telecast averaged 1,624,214 viewers, an 11 percent increase from last year. ESPN2's NASCAR Nationwide Series ratings have remained consistent all season and are slightly up from ratings at this point last year.(ESPN), see TV Ratings for 2010 and last 4 years on my 2010 TV Ratings page.(9-28-2010)

C&J Energy Services Entering NASCAR with Phoenix Racing: Securing three fully funded races for the end of the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, Phoenix Racing and Bobby Labonte announced that C&J Energy Services Inc. will sponsor the #09 Phoenix Racing Chevy. C&J Energy will be the primary sponsor for races at Martinsville on Oct 24, Phoenix on Nov 14 and the season finale at Homestead on Nov 21. The company will serve as an associate sponsor for the remainder of the season. Headquartered in Labonte's hometown, Corpus Christi, Texas, C&J Energy Services is a provider of coil tubing, pressure pumping services, and recently fracturing services, to the oil and gas industry in Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma. It will be the first time the company has partnered with a NASCAR team and driver. Phoenix Racing and Bobby Labonte will have more sponsor announcements soon as they continue to fill out the rest of their Sprint Cup season. Phoenix Racing will continue to enter a car for Labonte in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series [Labonte has one race left in the #71 Chevy at Texas] and for Ryan Newman in the Nationwide Series through the remainder of the 2010 season.(Breaking Limits)(9-28-2010)

JTG Daugherty Racing gets started on 2011: Two months ago JTG Daugherty Racing named 2000 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Bobby Labonte as the #47 Toyota driver for the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 36-race schedule. Today, Tuesday, September 28th, Labonte tests with crew chief Frank Kerr and his new team for the first time at the half-mile oval of Gresham Motorsports Park in Jefferson, GA. “The biggest part for me during this test is communication - - understanding what the team wants from me,” Labonte said. “Building a relationship with my crew chief, engineers and team starts today. I know you have to have chemistry and everybody on the same page working in the same direction for success. You can’t buy confidence. You’ have to build it with your teammates and team members. They have all of the necessary resources along with the Toyota program and Michael Waltrip Racing technical alliance. You can see the progress growing with David Reutimann and Martin Truex Jr. week in and week out.(JTG Daugherty Racing)(9-28-2010)

Some Chase drivers choose favorite songs for the Chase: Throughout the NASCAR season – and especially during the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup – NASCAR’s top drivers learn a lot about their competitors while they battle each other on the track nearly every weekend from February to November. On the track, they know their competition inside and out – off the track may be a different story, especially when it comes to their taste in music. After being on the road 38 weeks each year traveling the NASCAR circuit, each driver has had plenty of time to fine-tune the playlists on their iPods even if they can’t listen to their favorite songs while racing at 180 mph around NASCAR tracks across the country each weekend.
Taking favorite songs personally submitted by this year’s championship contenders, here is the ultimate Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playlist. From Elvis to Eminem, this 12-song compilation may surprise some of their most avid fans:
1. “Not Afraid” – Eminem (Denny Hamlin)
2. “Nothing Else Matters” – Metallica (Jimmie Johnson)
3. “Walk the Line” – Johnny Cash (Kevin Harvick)
4. “CC Rider” – Elvis (Clint Bowyer)
5. “Jukebox Hero” – Foreigner (Carl Edwards)
6. “Everything” – Buck Cherry (Greg Biffle)
7. “Another Way to Die” – Disturbed (Matt Kenseth)
8. “Love The Way You Lie” – Eminem (Denny Hamlin)
9. “It’s Now Or Never” – Elvis (Clint Bowyer)
10. “Say It Ain’t So” – Weezer (Kevin Harvick)
11. “Enter Sandman” – Metallica (Greg Biffle)
12. “Miracle” – Nonpoint (Matt Kenseth)
Bonus Track: “Wired to the T” – Dorrough (Mark Martin)
From selections like these, it’s easy to see these drivers know “It’s Now or Never,” and won’t be waiting on a “Miracle” as they put “Everything” on the line in order to hoist the NASCAR Sprint Cup trophy on Nov. 21.(Catalyst)(9-28-2010)

Speedway Illustrated Returns: Speedway Illustrated is back on track. And some familiar names are in the driver’s seat, ready to steer it in the right direction. “Racing needs a quality magazine more than ever,” said Karl Fredrickson, publisher of Traction Media, which has acquired the rights to Speedway Illustrated and will resume its publishing schedule. For a decade, Speedway Illustrated has provided that quality. And after Formula Five, which had owned the magazine only since 2009, suspended publication last spring, Fredrickson immediately launched an effort to buy it. “It’s like a driver who decides to run his own team rather than drive for someone else,” said Fredrickson, who has been with Speedway Illustrated since it began in January 2000. “We care more about it because it’s more than just a business to us. Our reputations and our credibility are at stake. We don’t take that lightly.”
That means, among other things, that if you have an active subscription to Speedway Illustrated, Traction Media will honor it – even though it is under no obligation to do so. Said Fredrickson, “It’s about doing the right thing and treating people fairly.”
Back on board are Bones Bourcier, Joyce Standridge, Mike Adaskaveg, Lew Boyd, Rob Sneddon, J.A. Ackley, Dan Anderson, and the rest of the award-winning editorial team – including the magazine’s founder and namesake. Yes, Dick Berggren, who launched Dick Berggren’s Speedway Illustrated in 2000 but left the magazine in 2009, has returned.
Fredrickson cautioned, “It's not for everyone. If you think drawing yellows on purpose is acceptable, or that crate engines should be mandatory, or that age or looks or gender matter more than talent, then Speedway Illustrated probably isn’t for you. We will create magazines for people who pour their heart and soul into building a race car, and then think nothing of taking their pride and joy – and the most expensive investment they’ve got besides their house – and trying to squeeze it between moving steel and immovable concrete because they can’t stand the thought of finishing fourth when they might’ve finished third.
For details on how to subscribe – or for questions regarding your Speedway Illustrated subscription that you paid for under the previous owner – go to www.speedwayillustrated.com.(Dick Berggren's Speedway Illustrated)(9-28-2010)

News from September 27, 2010

Dover News & Facts:
• Jimmie Johnson won the AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway. It was Johnson's 53rd Cup series victory in his 319th start. It was his 19th Chase victory in 62 Chase races (31 percent) and his sixth win in 2010. It was Johnson's sixth Dover victory in his 18th race there. He has won three of the past four at the Monster Mile.
• Johnson led five times for 191 laps, including final 35. He's led the most laps in the past four Dover races. The leader of the most laps has won 10 of the past 16 Dover races.
• Hendrick Motorsports posted its 194th Cup series win, second all time, and 13th victory at Dover, most by any team owner. HMS scored its 26th Chase victory, leading all owners.
• Chevrolet posted its 15th victory in 2010 and 31st win at Dover, including three of the past four races.
• The top 10 included three Chevrolets, three Toyotas, three Fords and one Dodge.
• Jeff Burton (second) finished second in both Dover races in 2010.
• Joey Logano (third) posted his best Dover finish in four races.
• Kurt Busch (fourth) recovered from a speeding penalty to post his third top-5 finish in the past four Dover races.
• Carl Edwards (fifth) scored his 11th straight top-15 Dover finish, the longest streak.
• Kevin Harvick finished 15th in his 350th Cup series start.
• Sam Hornish Jr. finished 36th in his 100th Cup series start.(ESPN.com)(9-27-2010)

RPM not ruling out 3rd team next year: It’s a given that Richard Petty Motorsports will field at least two teams in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2011, but team officials said this past weekend that it’s possible that the organization could field a third team as well. RPM currently fields four Cup teams for drivers #43-AJ Allmendinger, #9-Kasey Kahne, #98-Paul Menard and #19-Elliott Sadler. Kahne is scheduled to drive for Red Bull Racing next season while Menard is slated to join Richard Childress Racing; Sadler has said he isn’t expected to return to the organization’s #19 team. Team co-owner Richard Petty hasn’t ruled out the possibility of a third team. “We’ve talked to a lot of people about a third car, but our main deal is make sure we’ve got two really good cars, and then we try to do a third deal,” Petty said. “We’ve got until the end of the year [to make a decision]. If we’re downgrading from four teams to three teams, we’ve still got plenty of everything it would take to run that third car. It wouldn’t be like just having two, and then all of a sudden we’ve got to go out and get cars, people and trucks and all the equipment to run the third car. We can wait a pretty [long time], I think, as far as being able to get cars ready.”(Scene Daily)(9-27-2010)

Congrats: Congratulations to Dave and Tara Kulak on the birth of their son Aiden Thomas at 6 a.m. September 27th. Aiden weighed 8 lbs, and was 22 inches long. Aiden is their second son. Dave is a front tire carrier for JTG Daugherty Racing's #47 Toyota in the Sprint Cup Series.(9-27-2010)

Race and Commercial Breakdown of the 2010 Sylvania 300: For those of you NASCAR fans that like stats and love to hate commercials, or wonder how often your driver was focused on, here is the breakdown for Saturday’s race. ESPN was the broadcast team for this event.
Start time to record race/commercial periods: 1:00 PM
End time to record race/commercial periods: 4:19 PM
Total minutes: 199
Minutes of race broadcast: 138
Minutes of commercials: 61
Number of missed restarts: 0
Number of ‘mystery cautions’ (debris not shown): 0
Total number of commercials: 128
Total number of companies or entities advertised: 79
Total number of brief promos of products/services during the race broadcast: 24
Total race brdcst time 138 Total comm. brdcst time 61
See full rundown, drivers highlighted, links and other races on my 2010 TV Commercials Page.(9-27-2010)

Cars and Engines to R&D Center after Dover: After the AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway Sunday, NASCAR took the cars of #48-Johnson, #24-Gordon, and #33-Bowyer back to the R&D Center for further inspection. In addition, the engines of #48-Johnson, #31-Burton, #2-Busch, #99-Edwards, and #18-Busch were taken as follow up to dyno tests conducted after the Michigan race.(9-27-2010)

Braun Racing Cup team will not contine next year: Steve Turner has big plans for Turner Motorsports, which expanded its Camping World Truck Series operations to the Nationwide Series beginning this weekend when it was announced Friday that he had bought the four-car operation of Braun Racing. The plans for the organization on the Nationwide Series side include replacing Brian Scott after Dover with Turner's current Camping World Truck Series drivers Ricky Carmichael and James Buescher. Braun driver Tayler Malsam also will be phased out. Jason Leffler and Reed Sorenson will keep their Nationwide rides through the end of the year and it is possible they will remain with the team. The team plans to run three trucks and three Nationwide cars next year because the economics of running those operations lend themselves to have three teams, Turner said. Turner also said he will shut down the part-time Sprint Cup operation fielded by Braun this year.(Scene Daily)(9-27-2010)

Yeley could run more races for Whitney: In an odd twist of events, J.J. Yeley was back driving for Whitney Motorsports at Dover, the very team that let him go just one month ago. On Friday, Yeley made the race driving the #81 Dodge, the team car to the #46 which he drove in nine events earlier this season. Yeley who is already scheduled to drive in four more races for Tommy Baldwin Racing, told the Frontstretch that both he and Whitney are hoping to work together for a few more races before the end of the season. Beyond this race, the team announced on Twitter they'll be running a second car for four of the final eight events in 2010, leading to an opening Yeley could fill down the stretch. When asked if there were any hard feelings between driver and owner, Yeley provided a very philosophical response. "After taking a step back and looking at it from Dusty's perspective, I understand why he had to make the decision that he did last month. It wasn't personal, it was business." As for the rest of the season, the driver hopes to continue to keep his name out there with the hope that something more permanent will develop for 2011.(Frontstretch)(9-27-2010)

Richard Petty added to Ford Racing Party Zone at Auto Club Speedway: "The King" Richard Petty has been added to the already impressive Ford Racing Party Zone lineup for Pepsi MAX 400 Weekend at Auto Club Speedway. Petty's Ford Racing Party Zone appearance is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 10 at 10:30a.m. In addition to "The King", Jack Roush will make a special appearance in the Ford Racing Party Zone fan hospitality tent during the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoff race weekend Oct. 9-10. Don't miss the chance to see these two legends of NASCAR reflect about their life - past, present and future. Joining "The King" and Roush in the Ford Racing Party Zone on Sunday, Oct. 10, will be NSCS Ford Racing Team drivers Elliott Sadler, Greg Biffle and AJ Allmendinger. By simply upgrading a grandstand ticket, fans can take their NASCAR race weekend experience to the next level. Admission to the Ford Racing Party Zone requires a valid grandstand ticket, in addition to the Ford Racing Party Zone upgrade at an additional charge. To purchase tickets, visit us online or by calling 800-944-RACE (7223).(ACS)(9-27-2010)

News from September 26, 2010

Johnson wins at Dover: #48-Jimmie Johnson won the AAA Sprint Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway for his 6th win of 2010 and 53rd of his career.
#31-Burton finished second followed by #20-Logano, #2-Busch, #99-Edwards, #18-Busch, #98-Menard, #39-Newman, #11-Hamlin, and #43-Allmendinger.
There were 16 lead changes among 10 drivers and 4 cautions for 19 yellow flag laps.
The attendance was reported at 88,000, down from last years 110,000.Scheduled Race Re-Airs are ESPN2, Monday, September 27 at 3:30am; and SPEED, Wednesday, September 29 at 12:00pm/et.
See race results, awards, laps led and more on Jayski's Dover Race Results/Awards page.(9-26-2010)

Race Fast Facts - Dover:
Jimmie Johnson won the AAA 400 (40th Running), his 53rd victory in 319 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
This is his sixth victory and 15th top-10 finish in 2010.
This is his sixth victory and 12th top-10 finish in 18 races at Dover International Speedway.
Jeff Burton (second) posted his 15th top-10 finish in 34 races at Dover International Speedway. It is his 14th top-10 finish in 2010.
Joey Logano (third) posted his second top-10 finish in four races at Dover International Speedway.
Kevin Conway (37th) was the highest finishing rookie.
Denny Hamlin leads the point standings by 35 points over Jimmie Johnson.(NASCAR Statistics)(9-26-2010)

Top-35 in Owner Points and guaranteed a starting spot at Kansas:
No one moved in to or out of the top-35. The #7 team stays in 35th, but their lead falls from 110 points to to 84 over the #38 team.
34) #71-Cassill-Labonte/TRG: 2029, +120
35) #7-Gordon/Conway/RGM, 1993, 84 points ahead of 36ththese teams/ drivers must qualify by speed:
36) #38-Gilliland-Kvapil/Front Row: 1909, -84 points out of the top 35
37) #26-Green/Latitude43: 1827, -166
The teams are NOT locked in past the next race as the owners points change after each race.
For the owner points standings, see my Owners Points Standings page.(9-26-2010)

Start and Parks? Which teams parked their cars early in the race at Dover (or seemed to)?
39th: #46-McDowell, 71 laps run
40th: #55-Mike Bliss, 60 laps run
41st: #87-Nemechek, 58 laps run
42nd: #81-Yeley, 43 laps run
43rd: #36-Blaney, 29 laps run
with NASCAR's new rule of the first non-crashed car out of the race to be inspected, it would be the #36 this week
(only count a team with a history of start and park, not a wreck or engine blow and only if 25% or less of race completed)(9-26-2010)

Kenny Loggins to perform at Auto Club Speedway: The Auto Club Speedway DiscoverIE FanZone will be transformed into a Danger Zone when Grammy Awarding-winning, singer/songwriter Kenny Loggins takes the DiscoverIE FanZone main stage prior to the Chase for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series playoff race - the Pepsi MAX 400 on Sunday, Oct. 10 at Auto Club Speedway. Tickets to the Pepsi MAX 400, which includes the Kenny Loggins live performance, start as low as $35. Those wanting an extra dose of Kenny Loggins, can experience his race day performance at Auto Club Speedway on Sunday, Oct. 10, and then again at his full concert at Pechanga Resort and Casino on Friday, Oct. 29 for just $60. Get your Kenny Loggins ticket package before it expires on Thursday, Oct. 7, or while supplies last. For more information or to purchase the Kenny Loggins ticket package, call 800-944-RACE (7223), log on to www.autoclubspeedway.com or visit the Auto Club Speedway Ticket Office.(ACS)(9-26-2010)

News from September 25, 2010

Harvick, Hamlin exchange words Saturday morning: #29-Kevin Harvick showed he had his teammate's back by damaging #11-Denny Hamlin's rear. After Hamlin bumped Harvick on the track, the top two points leaders were involved in a heated and profane exchange in the garage, sparking some life into the first practice Saturday at Dover International Speedway. The dustup came a day after Hamlin blasted Clint Bowyer, saying Harvick's RCR teammate was making excuses for why his winning car at New Hampshire failed a follow-up inspection. Harvick appeared to stick up for Bowyer not with words, but with force. Hamlin knew he'd be a target when he said Harvick's crew made sarcastic comments toward him before practice. Hamlin, who said he expected retaliation for his antagonistic criticism, said Harvick also got into the #11 Toyota on pit road. Hamlin and Harvick made contact during the opening laps of practice, with Harvick damaging the right rear of Hamlin's No. 11 car. Once the drivers returned to the garage, they got into each other's faces before they were separated. Tempers quickly flared again and they went back to yelling at each other before they were broken up for good.(Associated Press/ESPN.com)(9-25-2010)

Ebay Motors sponsoring Martin at Martinsville: #5-Mark Martin will carry a sponsor new to NASCAR at Martinsville Speedway next month -- eBay Motors. "It's really great because times are tough right now and what a great company that reaches so many people," Martin said of eBay. "We were excited that Quaker State stepped up for next year and to have eBay for Martinsville and we're working on having them be a part of our program going forward. The deal with eBay was brokered for Hendrick Motorsports by Andrew Campagnone, vice president Motorsports Wunderman Charlotte.(Fox Sports)(9-25-2010)

RCR appeal to be heard on Wednesday: UPDATE: According to a tweet by Ramsey Poston, NASCAR's Communications Manger, "Appeal hearing for the #33 team is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 29.(9-25-2010)UPDATE: According to NASCAR, since 1999 there have been 132 appeals of penalties. The outcome? 88 were upheld (66%), 42 were reduced or overturned (32%) and 2 were increased (2%).(9-25-2010)

Pit Stall Selections - Dover: The selections of pit stalls for the AAA 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway have been made. Pole sitter #48-Johnson chose pit stall 1 [as do most pole sitters].
Outside pole sitter #43-Allmendinger took pit stall 10, the first with an opening in front of it [after the 1st stall of course].
#56-Truex, who starts 3rd took the 17th pit stall, the next stall with an opening in front of it.
The 43rd and final pit stall was taken by #00-Reutimann, who starts 17th.
To see where all the drivers/teams pit stall is, see the pit selection chart on the Pit Stall Selection chart.(9-25-2010)

Stewart and Biffle looking to win $1 million for fan: Office Depot recently teamed up with NASCAR stars Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Office Depot Chevy, and Greg Biffle, driver of the #16 3M Ford, to provide small business owners with a one-of-a-kind opportunity to become the sixth annual "Official Small Business of NASCAR, Courtesy of Office Depot." The two finalists, Rose Berger, owner of Professional Cleaning Service in Greer, SC and Mike Pagano, owner of PaganoPhoto - Photos by Mike Pagano in Cedar Brook, NJ, will each receive a $10,000 small business makeover from Office Depot and a VIP experience this weekend at Dover International Speedway. Plus, each finalist will have a chance to win $1 million.
Stewart and Biffle will each feature one finalist's small business logo on their respective race cars during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA 400 race at Dover International Speedway on Sunday. Berger was randomly paired with Stewart, while Pagano was matched with Biffle. The small business featured on the highest-finishing driver's car at the end of the race will be named the 2010 "Official Small Business of NASCAR, Courtesy of Office Depot." And if Stewart or Biffle win the race, the small business featured on the winning car will take home $1 million!(Edelman for Office Depot Racing)(9-25-2010)

First Saturday Practice: for the AAA 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway is over after 45 minutes, the top five, slowest, notes:
#00-Reutimann 152.957
#18-Busch (X) 152.711
#2-Busch (X) 152.626
#42-Montoya 152.568
#48-Johnson (X) 152.458
(X) = Chase Driver
slowest: #37-Raines 144.237 & #46-McDowell 138.991
#29-Harvick and #11-Hamlin bumped each other on track just as the session started. The contact was intentional, but both cars only had minor damage. After the incident, Harvick and Hamlin and their teams [ they are parked next to each other] got into a heated discussion in the garage.
See fastest lap, laps run, average speed on my Dover Practice Speeds Page.(9-24-2010)

Catch can gone in 2011? UPDATE: hearing that the Nationwide Series and Sprint Cup Series will be going to the same six man pit crew format that the Camping World Truck Series has been running this season, starting in Daytona 2011. They will be using a similar single-point, self-venting probe and dry brake system (9-23-2010)UPDATE: NASCAR officials on Friday confirmed that the Nationwide Series will move to six-man pit crews for all teams next season, eliminating the catch-can position. The change puts Nationwide in line with the Trucks series, which already has made the change. The series' new gas tanks will have a single-point, self-venting system that doesn’t require a crew member to operate.(Charlotte Observer)(9-24-2010)

Brian Keselowski could move team to Cup: From an interview with Frontstretch:Where does [the purse cuts in Nationwide] leave this operation heading into 2011?Keselowski: If we can't run Nationwide, I'd like to run Cup. I don't know, there's a lot of uncertainty. We've got three solid months to figure out what we're doing for next year. But if we get to January 1 and we don't know what we're doing, we're really behind the [eight] ball. It sounds like they're going to change the front ends of the Cup cars a little bit next year, so even the ones I already have would have to be worked on. I'd like to say that I will just run the Cup deal, because if nothing else I could just focus on one car, and the money over there is enough that I could afford to race the race. I never wanted to start a second team or a third team [in the Nationwide Series], I wanted to race. But it wasn't going to make business sense to do it. I'm getting kind of sick of it. It's getting to a point where it's really not any fun. We work really, really hard and you feel like racing isn't getting anywhere. You're just busting your butt and not getting anywhere, running 30th all day long.(Frontstretch)(9-25-2010)

Rust leaves Chicagoland Speedway: International Speedway Corporation, parent company of Chicagoland Speedway and Route 66 Raceway, announced a leadership change at the facility effective immediately. Craig Rust, former president of Chicagoland Speedway has left the company. A search for a successor is underway. In the interim, leadership oversight for the facility will be directed by ISC President, John Saunders.(ISC PR)(9-25-2010)

Week 12 Daytona Repave Update: The paving of the wearing course, the fourth and final layer of asphalt, was put down on the legendary 2.5-mile tri-oval of Daytona International Speedway for the first time during Week 12 of the Daytona Repave. The crew from Lane Construction put down the top pass of the wearing course beginning at the entrance to Turn 3, through the steep 31-degree high banks, all the way to the exit of Turn 4. Paving of the wearing course will continue from Turns 3 and 4, through the tri-oval and start/finish line, and finish at the entrance of Turn 1. Once the paving of the wearing course is complete in the high banks of Turns 3 and 4, the SAFER barrier, fence and light poles will be reinstalled.(DIS)(9-25-2010)

News from September 24, 2010

Bowyer and Childress respond to penalty:
#33-Clint Bowyer came to the Dover International Speedway media center red-in-the-face fired up Friday. He came with a piece of yellow legal pad paper filled with notes he wrote at 6 a.m. and a quarter that he pulled from his pocket to show just how far NASCAR claimed his car was off after Sunday's victory at New Hampshire. He came to say he was wronged. But not everybody agreed. "This is not two weeks old," #11-Denny Hamlin pointed out sometime after Bowyer reminded us that Hamlin's car and Jimmie Johnson's car had to go through tech twice at New Hampshire before passing height inspection. "They were warned, and they were warned before Richmond. Everyone in the garage knows that. They [Bowyer's team] wanted to get everything they could. You can't fault them for that." A lot of people still want to know what NASCAR is talking about. A lot of people still are angry. People are wondering: If Bowyer's car can be found sixty-thousandths of an inch beyond the tolerances the governing body allows, how many other "illegal" cars are there in the garage? Crew chiefs up and down the garage will agree they're pushing the tolerances. They'll tell you that if more cars were taken to the R&D center, there'd be a lot more penalties. They'll also tell you they're paid to push the envelope. There's a lot of gray here. And when you consider that the # 33 team had been warned, that owner Richard Childress gave everybody what Bowyer called a "butt chewing" before New Hampshire, that the team was told the car would come back to the R&D center for review regardless of what it did at New Hampshire, then you're at least left wondering whether something happened to create this. Richard Childress claims the violation could have been the result of the tow truck pushing the car to the garage after it ran out of gas during a victory burnout. Bowyer on his yellow paper noted that possibility, as well as hard knocks by Tony Stewart during the race and the congratulatory bump by Dale Earnhardt Jr. afterward. Could that have happened to Bowyer's car? NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton hasn't seen such a case in his 30 or so years in the sport. He defends NASCAR's decision and the inspection process, saying there's no reason to bring 12 Chase cars or all 43 cars home for inspection. If Bowyer were king, he might blow up the R&D center. "I don't like the R&D center," he said. "I think what you bring to the racetrack is what they inspect." He went on to say that the cars are torn down at R&D to the point that they don't resemble what's on the track.(ESPN.com)(9-24-2010)

Qualifying Order for the AAA 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway is posted. 46 cars/drivers are listed. Go-or-go homers will qualify at the end of the session, once the top-35 drivers are done.
The first of the top-35 drivers scheduled to go out is #11-Hamlin.
The final top-35 driver scheduled to go out is #37-Raines.
The first go-or-go homer scheduled to qualify [36th] is #38-Gilliland with the final driver scheduled to qualify being #87-Nemechek.
See the full qualifying order on the Dover Qualifying Page.(9-24-2010)

NASCAR won’t inspect more Chase cars after races: NASCAR has considered taking all 12 Chase For The Sprint Cup cars following each race for more thorough inspections, but hasn't seen widespread issues that would require such extensive follow-up, NASCAR Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton said Friday. NASCAR takes the race-winning car and at least one other car to its research and development center in North Carolina after every race to make sure the car and how the body sits on the frame meets NASCAR regulations. It was in that inspection at the research and the development center that it found the race-winning car of Clint Bowyer to be illegal on Wednesday, three days after he won the first Chase race at New Hampshire. The failure of his car has prompted talk that NASCAR should take more Chase cars, and possibly all 12, following each event in the Chase. "We've done several hundred cars, and if a team has an issue, problem or [is] headed in the wrong direction, we talk about it and they go fix the problem," Pemberton said prior to practice Friday at Dover International Speedway. "We haven't had anything [illegal] in almost two years and that was light sheet metal. We haven't really had a problem. … If someday it winds up being there, fine. But right now our processes work quite well. We feel like the majority of the garage has done things correctly. From time to time, we find things that are not out of the box but are to the zero-margin. It hasn't been an epidemic in any way shape or form." The equipment used to conduct the complicated frame inspections cannot easily be moved to the track and that's one of the reasons why it is done at the research center. The plates the cars sit on during the inspection weigh thousands pounds and all of the equipment would need to be recalibrated if moved off site, Pemberton said. He said there are no plans to try to do those inspections at the Chase-determining race at Richmond nor the season finale at Homestead.(Scene Daily)(9-24-2010)

Wilson staying as crew chief during appeal: Shane Wilson will remain #33-Clint Bowyer's crew chief "for as long as he can," a Richard Childress Racing official said Friday at Dover. Wilson was suspended for six weeks and fined $150,000, and Bowyer was fined 150 points after NASCAR ruled the car that won last Sunday's Chase opener at New Hampshire did not meet specifications. Team owner Richard Childress announced he plans to appeal the decision, which means Wilson can remain the crew chief until the appeal is heard. NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton expects an appeal to be heard next week. (ESPN.com)(9-24-2010)

Activision developing new NASCAR video game? Last September, EA Sports president Peter Moore confirmed to GameSpot that Electronic Arts was letting its long-held NASCAR license lapse. Today, game-industry site Gamasutra cites "sources close to the situation" that EA's archrival, Activision, will publish the next installment in the series. The report was also backed up by a less reliable outlet--a post on the EA Sports forums. Poster N0Fear88, a two-year veteran of the site, claims another "inside source" at NASCAR said the title was in development for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii, and would be released two weeks before next February's Dayton 500. In late August, British developer Eutechnyx, the studio behind the racing games Ferrari Challenge and Big Mutha Truckers, accidentally tipped its hand by posting the forums for NASCAR 2011. (The Google cache showing the page can be found here) It is unclear at which of Eutechnyx's four studios the game will be developed. The Gateshead, UK-based shop also has operations in Pittsburgh, Pensylvannia as well as Chengdu and Hong Kong in China. Activision reps had not yet responded to comment as of press time.(GameSpot)(9-24-2010)

NASCAR wants to dismiss Mayfield countersuit to speed up appeal: NASCAR wants to dismiss its breach-of-contract and fraud claims against Jeremy Mayfield to help speed up the appeal in Mayfield's lawsuit against the sanctioning body over a May 1, 2009, drug test that NASCAR says was positive for methamphetamines. A U.S. District Court judge in Charlotte ruled in May that Mayfield, who has said he did not use methamphetamines, did not have a case against NASCAR and ruled in favor of NASCAR without the case going to trial. Mayfield has been unable to appeal that decision because NASCAR's countersuit - which alleges that by racing while violating the substance-abuse policy, Mayfield breached the contract he signed to compete in NASCAR - is still pending with a trial scheduled for July 2011. NASCAR had asked the court Sept. 10 to suspend the proceedings in its countersuit so an appeals court can rule on the decision to dismiss Mayfield's allegations. But, according to court documents filed by NASCAR on Thursday, Mayfield plans to oppose the suspension of NASCAR's countersuit and Mayfield has asked for a variety of documents and depositions to gather information to support its request. NASCAR has now decided to dismiss its countersuit against Mayfield in order to move the appeals process forward and to avoid additional interrogations and document production.(Scene Daily)(9-24-2010)

Dover Goodyear Tire Notes: Teams in both NASCAR series in action at Dover this weekend will be running the same Goodyear tire codes . . . this is the same combination of left- and right-side tires that NASCAR teams ran at Dover earlier this season . . . this is also the same right-side tire code (D-4272) that these teams ran in the fall race at Dover last season . . . in 2010, NASCAR teams have run this right-side code at Michigan (both series) and Kentucky (Nationwide only) . . . unlike on other NASCAR ovals one mile or less in length, where teams do not run inner liners, teams are required to run liners in all four tire positions at Dover . . . air pressure in those inner liners should be 12-25 psi greater than that of the outer tire. The estimated pit window for Sprint Cup cars is every 75-80 laps, based on fuel mileage. See full notes, tire codes, pressures and more on my Dover Race Info page - Goodyear section.

Some Chassis selections for Dover:#1-Jamie McMurray: Bono and the #1 McDonald's team will bring chassis #803 to Dover this weekend. This chassis has been used only once this season last month at Bristol where McMurray qualified seventh and finished third. The chassis was used in the 2009 season at both Pocono events and the second Auto Club Speedway event finishing 18th, 19th and 22nd. The team also tested this chassis in June at the Atlanta.#2-Kurt Busch and his Steve Addington-led "Blue Deuce" team will be debuting their brand new "PRS-736" Dodge Charger at Dover this weekend. "It's a sister car to the one that we debuted last weekend at Loudon (New Hampshire Motor Speedway)," offered crew chief Steve Addington.#6-David Ragan: Primary: RK-638 Last ran Darlington - finished 14th; Backup: RK-620 Last ran Vegas - finished 23rd#12-Brad Keselowski: The #12 Penske Dodge Charger team will use chassis PRS-726 during Sunday's AAA 400 at Dover. Keselowski last drove this chassis to a 34th-place finish at Michigan in August.#14-Tony Stewart: Chassis No. 14-530: This was a brand new racecar for 2009 that, prior to its debut at Richmond in May, had only been tested in the wind tunnel. At Richmond, Stewart used Chassis No. 14-530 to qualify 16th and rally from the 17th position in the final 50 laps around the .75-mile oval to score his second runner-up effort of the season. It saw action unexpectedly in June at New Hampshire when the team's primary car was crashed in the opening minutes of the weekend's first practice. Chassis No. 14-530's third career start came at Richmond in the series' return visit in September. The off-season brought about a complete rebuild for Chassis No. 14-530 in preparation for its first start of 2010 at Bristol, where it qualified 11th and finished second to Jimmie Johnson in a late-race duel. Its sixth career start and second of 2010 came in June at Dover, the only other concrete oval on the circuit. It started 16th and finished ninth. Chassis No. 14-530 returned to Bristol for the track's annual night race in August. It qualified fourth - its best qualifying effort in six attempts - and ran second to leader Johnson for the race's first 125 laps before the .533-mile bullring showed its horns to Stewart, with multiple on-track incidents conspiring for a 27th-place finish. It returns to the concrete with this weekend's race at Dover.#17-Matt Kenseth: RK-672 (Last run at Michigan)#18-Kyle Busch: Chassis No. 277: This chassis will make its third-ever start in Sunday’s AAA 400 at Dover. In its first start, at Pocono in August, Busch started 21st and finished 23rd in the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500. The #18 team brought this chassis back two weeks ago for the Air Guard 400 at Richmond, where it started a distant 32nd, but finished a solid second.#19-Elliott Sadler: The #19 RPM team has prepared chassis #652 for this weekend's event. This is the same car the team utilized in the spring race at Dover. Sadler drove to a 28th-place finish after losing ground with a loose wheel midway through the event.#20-Joey Logano: The #20 Home Depot Team is taking chassis #275 this weekend for the AAA 400. This will be the third time this chassis will be raced this season and it has two top-10 finishes. Logano piloted chassis #275 to a ninth-place finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and crossed the stripe 10th at Michigan in August. The back-up chassis is #272 which has competed in three races in 2010: Chicagoland (18th) the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (16th) and in June at Michigan (10th).#29-Kevin Harvick: will pilot Chassis #301 from the RCR stable. Built new for 2010, this Chevy was tested at Charlotte in April. Harvick finished seventh with this car at Texas in April, 11th in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte in May, and suffered a fuel pressure issue at Chicagoland in July and finished 34th.#31-Jeff Burton: will pilot chassis #314 from the RCR stable. Built new this season, this is the same Caterpillar Chevy Burton drove to a fourth-place finish at Atlanta three weeks ago.#33-Clint Bowyer: will pilot chassis #298 from the RCR stable. Built new in 2010, this #33 racer made its debut at Atlanta March, where Bowyer finished 23rd following late-race contact that cut down his left-rear tire. In May, Bowyer was in line for another solid finish at Dover but, on the final pit stop of the day, he left his stall with the jack wedged underneath the #33 machine, resulting in a pit road penalty, the loss of a lap and a less-than-desired 17th-place finish. Most recently, the Emporia, Kan., native started on the outside row and led 59 laps en route to a ninth-place finish in this #33 Impala at Pocono in June before returning to the triangular-shaped race track in August to post a 15th-place finish.#39-Ryan Newman: Chassis No. 39-516: This chassis has been the only chassis to see action on both concrete racetracks – Bristol and Dover during the past two seasons. In four races during the 2009 season, the chassis never finished outside of the top-10. The car finished seventh and sixth at Bristol and eighth and 10th at Dover, respectively. Over the winter, Tony Gibson & Company updated the chassis in preparation for the 2010 season. The chassis saw action at Bristol last March and, although Newman flirted with a top-10 result, he finished a disappointing 16th following a late-race lug nut issue on a pit stop. At Dover in May, Newman qualified sixth and fought back from tire issues to finish 13th. In its most recent outing in the Bristol night race in August, the chassis scored its first top-10 finish of the 2010 season as Newman started and finished sixth at the .533-mile bullring.#42-Juan Pablo Montoya: Pattie and the #42 team are bringing chassis #903 to Dover. This chassis was used last month at Bristol where Montoya qualified eighth and finished seventh. In its other four previous starts it has two top-10 finishes of sixth and tenth last season at Michigan- June and Chicago- July.#43-A.J. Allmendinger: The #43 RPM team led by crew chief Mike Shiplett has prepared chassis #288 for this weekend's event at Dover. This chassis has been utilized on quite a few other occasions this season including the first race at Dover in the spring. In addition, it was run in at Michigan several weeks ago, at Chicagoland, Pocono and the first event at Bristol.#48-Jimmie Johnson: last piloted chassis #558 to a 22nd-place finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July. Backup chassis #553 was driven to Victory Lane by Johnson at Auto Club Speedway in February.#88-Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Crew chief Lance McGrew and the #88 engineers will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis #88-556, which is the first car McGrew built from scratch for Earnhardt. This chassis, which Earnhardt debuted in 2009 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, last was raced to a 25th-place finish at Chicagoland in July.#98-Paul Menard: Crew chief Slugger Labbe and the #98 RPM crew have prepared chassis #556 for this weekend's event. This car was last utilized in the race at Chicagoland where Menard qualified inside the top 10 and remained there during the race. It was also run in the spring race at Bristol.#99-Carl Edwards: RK-705 - This is a brand new car.(from team PR's/sites if reported)(9-16-2010)

Grand Touring Vodka "Official & Exclusive Vodka" at Dover: Dover International Speedway and Grand Touring (GT) Vodka have entered into a multi-year agreement that names GT Vodka as the "Official & Exclusive Vodka" of Dover International Speedway. The agreement includes extensive signage at the Monster Mile that will also place GT Vodka's logo on the entire length of the inside of the pit road wall. In addition to its new partnership with Dover, GT Vodka is also in its first year as a sponsor with JR Motorsports that has featured primary sponsorship of the #88 Chevy in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Race fans at the Monster Mile on Sept. 24-26, 2010 will have the opportunity to visit the GT Vodka interactive display in the FanZone and take their picture with the #88 show car. Fans can also get a taste of the product by visiting one of several locations around the facility that will now serve GT Vodka, including inside of the Dover Downs Hotel & Casino adjacent to the Speedway.(Dover PR)(9-24-2010)

News from September 23, 2010

Chase Stats going into Dover: Only once in the six years of The Chase, 2006, has the eventual winner been worse than 2nd place after the first Chase race. #48-Jimmie Johnson's 39th at Loudon that year mired him in 9th place, 139 points out of first. Of course, we all know he rallied and won by 56 points over #17-Matt Kenseth that year. #33-Clint Bowyer stayed strong down the stretch to make Chase VII, and he's the hottest driver over the last five races, with finishes of 13th, 4th, 7th, 6th and 1st, scoring 785 points [not counting the penalty from NHMS]. #18-Kyle Busch has been next best with 767 points and he dodged trouble enough at N.H. to place 9th. #99-Carl Edwards is third in points scored over the last five with 741. #14-Tony Stewart's gamble on gas at Loudon dropped him to 24th place and he lost 74 points to first place as a result. He recorded a solid second at N.H. when he won Chase II in 2005, and left Loudon in first place. See more on my Chase Stats after New Hampshire page [note: #33 penalty not applied to these stats] and for Chase History and more see my Chase News stats and more page.(9-23-2010)

Catch can gone in 2011?: hearing that the Nationwide Series and Sprint Cup Series will be going to the same six man pit crew format that the Camping World Truck Series has been running this season, starting in Daytona 2011. They will be using a similar single-point, self-venting probe and dry brake system (9-23-2010)

Race and Commercial Breakdown of the 2010 Sylvania 300: For those of you NASCAR fans that like stats and love to hate commercials, or wonder how often your driver was focused on, here is the breakdown for Saturday’s race. ESPN was the broadcast team for this event.
Start time to record race/commercial periods: 1:00 PM
End time to record race/commercial periods: 4:15 PM
Total minutes: 195
Minutes of race broadcast: 141
Minutes of commercials: 54
Number of missed restarts: 0 (three near misses)
Total number of commercials: 109
Total number of companies or entities advertised: 70
Total number of brief promos of products/services during the race broadcast: 30
Number of ‘mystery cautions’ (debris not shown): 1
Total race brdcst time 141 Total comm. brdcst time 54
See full rundown, drivers highlighted, links and other races on my 2010 TV Commercials Page.(9-23-2010)

BB&T on the #33 at Dover: The burgundy, white and gold paint scheme of BB&T, the Winston-Salem, N.C.-based corporation, will adorn Bowyer's #33 Chevy for this weekend's AAA 400.(RCR), see an image of the car on my #33 team paint schemes page.(9-23-2010)

#34 picks up associate sponsors: The #34 team welcomes LP Building Products and Advantage Homes as associate sponsors on the #34 Ford. LP Building Products is a Nashville, Tenn.-based manufacturer of high-quality building materials. Its products are sold through distributors, dealers, professional lumberyards and retail home centers. Advantage Homes builds award-winning, high-quality, innovative homes in some of the most desirable locations in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, using top products to ensure excellence, durability and reliability. This weekend's race will be LP Building Products' second time partnering with Front Row and Advantage Homes' first.(Breaking Limits/Front Row PR)(9-23-2010)

Congrats: Congrats to Lance Munksgard, Red Bull Racing Team pit crew coach, and his wife Haley. On Tuesday afternoon at 12:37 PM, they welcomed their second son into the world. Jeffery Ledger Munksgard weighed 8 pounds and 12 ounces. Both mom and baby are doing great.(9-23-2010)

Drivers to introduce themselves during pre-race for the AAA 400: Dover will spruce up its pre-race driver introductions by inviting all 43 starting NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers to introduce themselves on stage before the start of the race. Pre-race ceremonies on the frontstretch stage begin at 11:30 a.m. with driver introductions scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Each driver will introduce themselves and announce what car they'll be driving, commencing with the driver starting in the 43rd position. The top-10 starters will introduce themselves and a military veteran who has recently returned home from overseas. The USO Delaware is helping to choose the 10 members of the military.(Dover PR)(9-23-2010)

Sunoco renews Dover agreement: Dover International Speedway and Sunoco have extended their existing partnership to include naming rights for the Monster Mile's Victory Lane, now known as Sunoco Victory Lane. Winning drivers in all three NASCAR series racing at the one-mile, high-banked oval this weekend will pull into a brand new Sunoco Victory Lane after conquering the monster. The 10-year agreement also names Sunoco as the "Official Fuel of Dover International Speedway." As part of this designation, Sunoco will have prominent signage surrounding Victory Lane including the Philadelphia-based company's familiar yellow, blue and red colors. The display will also feature a canopy-like structure that showcases their recognizable diamond logo on the checkered patterned floor. Future plans call for the addition of a small seating area near Victory Lane for VIPs, guests and race fans.(Dover PR)(9-23-2010)

News from September 22, 2010

NASCAR looking at Bowyer’s New Hampshire car: UPDATES: Two people familiar with the inspection process say NASCAR is taking a closer look at Clint Bowyer's race-winning car from New Hampshire. The #33 Chevy passed its initial inspection following Sunday's victory, but the people familiar with the situation say NASCAR discovered issues with the car in a more thorough inspection at its research and development center. They requested anonymity because the car is still being inspected. On Tuesday, NASCAR told RCR officials that Bowyer's chase-clinching car from Richmond came very close to failing inspection. Though NASCAR does not typically strip wins from drivers, a car that fails inspection would lead to a significant points penalty. Bowyer's wins pushed him to second from 12th in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship, 35 points behind leader Denny Hamlin.(Associated Press/ESPN.com)(9-22-2010)UPDATE: NASCAR has issued penalties, suspensions and fines as a result of rules infractions discovered this week during post-race inspection at the NASCAR Research and Development Center following last Sunday’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The #33 team was found to be in violation of Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4-J (any determination by NASCAR officials that the race equipment used in the event does not conform to NASCAR rules); and 20-3 (car body location specifications in reference to the certified chassis did not meet NASCAR-approved specifications) of the 2010 NASCAR Rule Book. As a result, crew chief Shane Wilson has been fined $150,000, suspended from the next six NASCAR Sprint Cup events, suspended from NASCAR until Nov. 3 and placed on probation until Dec. 31. Car chief Chad Haney has also been suspended from the next six NASCAR Sprint Cup events, suspended from NASCAR until Nov. 3 and placed on probation until Dec. 31. Driver Clint Bowyer and owner Richard Childress have been penalized with the loss of 150 championship driver and owner points, respectively. (NASCAR), the penalty drops Bowyer from 2nd in the driver point standings to 12th.(9-22-2010)UPDATE 2: RCR Statement: "First of all, I'd like to apologize to our sponsors, our fans and everyone at RCR for the situation that has resulted from this ruling. RCR has a long-standing reputation of integrity on and off the race track. We pride ourselves on working within the rules established by the sanctioning body. NASCAR informed us after the Richmond race that we were very close to their maximum tolerances. They also told us they were going to take our New Hampshire car to the NASCAR Technical Center after that race. It doesn't make any sense at all that we would send a car to New Hampshire that wasn't within NASCAR's tolerances. I am confident we fixed the area of concern and the New Hampshire car left the race shop well within the tolerances required by NASCAR. We feel certain that the cause of the car being out of tolerance by sixty thousandths of an inch, less than 1/16 of an inch, happened as a result of the wrecker hitting the rear bumper when it pushed the car into winner's circle. The rear bumper was also hit on the cool down lap by other drivers congratulating Clint on his victory. That's the only logical way that the left-rear of the car was found to be high at the tech center. We will appeal NASCAR's ruling and take it all the way to the NASCAR commissioner for a final ruling, if need be."(RCR)(9-22-2010)

#46 team penalized: UPDATE: Whitney Motorsports team owner Dusty Whitney's response to penalties levied against the team following post-race inspection of the #46 Dodge after the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway: "I stand by NASCAR's decision in that they give us a box to work within and as competitors we are all expected to work within that box. However, I am extremely disappointed in that as a small team we outsource our engine building and we entrust our engine builder to ensure we meet the NASCAR parameters and engine requirements. By entrusting a third party that did not perform to NASCAR's standards our team is not only suffering a hefty financial penalty but we are also losing a valuable member of our team for six races along with a substantial loss of owner and driver points. We expect all of our vendors and outsourced suppliers to perform within the guidelines established by Whitney Motorsports and NASCAR and it is extremely unfortunate and costly when they do not." When NASCAR discovered the valves in the engine of the #46 Dodge to be below the mandated weight, Whitney Motorsports was penalized $50,000, driver Michael McDowell was penalized 50 driver points and owner Dusty Whitney was penalized 50 owner points. Crew chief Jeremy LaFaver has also been suspended from NASCAR competition for six weeks. That engine was acquired from Gillette-Evernham Motorsports and has since been rebuilt and updated by Arrington Engines.(Whitney Motorsports PR), have not seen an official release about the penalty from NASCAR.(9-21-2010)UPDATE: NASCAR has issued penalties, suspensions and fines as a result of rules infractions discovered this week during post-race inspection at the NASCAR Research and Development Center following last Sunday’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The No. 46 team was found to be in violation of Sections 12-1, 12-4-J, and 20-5.8.4.C (engine exhaust valves did not meet the minimum weight requirement) of the 2010 NASCAR Rule Book. Crew chief Jeremy Lafaver has been fined $50,000, suspended from the next six NASCAR Sprint Cup events, suspended from NASCAR until Nov. 3 and placed on probation until Dec. 31. Driver Michael McDowell and owner Dusty Whitney have been penalized with the loss of 50 championship driver and owner points, respectively. (NASCAR)(9-22-2010)

Wingo replaced as Ragan's crew chief? UPDATES: Hearing that Donnie Wingo is no longer the crew chief for #6-David Ragan and that Drew Blickensderfer moves up from Roush's Nationwide program as Carl Edwards crew chief, with Mike Beam taking over there. No word on Wingo's plans.(9-21-2010)UPDATE: Jack Roush has promoted Drew Blickensderfer once again. Blickensderfer will return to the Sprint Cup Series this time on top of the #6 UPS Ford pitbox for driver David Ragan, sources told FOXSports.com. Most recently Blickensderfer was crew chief for Carl Edwards and the #60 in the Nationwide Series. Blickensderfer replaces Donnie Wingo, who joined the organization in 2008 as Jamie McMurray's crew chief. He was reassigned to Ragan's team at the end of last season. Veteran Mike Beam is expected to replace Blickensderfer atop the box for the #60 Nationwide Series team.(Fox Sports)(9-22-2010)UPDATE 2: Roush Fenway Racing has announced that Drew Blickensderfer will take over as crew chief on the #6 Sprint Cup team with driver David Ragan effective immediately. Mike Beam will replace Blickensderfer as crew chief of the #60 Nationwide Team, with driver Carl Edwards. Beam had previously served as competition director of Roush Fenway's Nationwide program. With the move Blickensderfer returns to the Sprint Cup series where he served as Matt Kenseth's crew chief in 2009, leading the #17 Sprint Cup team to two victories, including the famed Daytona 500. In addition to wins in the Sprint Cup Series at Daytona and California, Blickensderfer boasts 12 wins in the Nationwide Series. In 2008 he guided Edwards' team to a Nationwide Series runner-up finish and in 2006 he helped Danny O'Quinn Jr. capture the Nationwide Raybestos Rookie Award. Beam, a 30-year NASCAR veteran, has served at Roush Fenway as a crew chief in the Camping World Truck Series and Nationwide Series. He most recently served as director of competition for Roush Fenway's Nationwide program.(Roush Fenway)(9-22-2010

Second NASCAR Hall Of Fame Class to be announced October 13: NASCAR has announced that "Voting Day" for the second class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame will be Wednesday, Oct. 13 at the hall, in Charlotte, N.C. NASCAR broadcast partner SPEED will carry the announcement of the second class live at 4 p.m. ET. The public is invited to attend, with purchase of a NASCAR Hall of Fame general admission ticket. The NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Panel, consisting of members of the Nominating Committee, will meet in a closed session to deliberate and vote on the 25 candidates eligible for this second class. The vote will be followed by a press conference announcing the five new inductees that will join the inaugural class of 2010, which consisted of NASCAR drivers Dale Earnhardt, Junior Johnson and Richard Petty, as well as NASCAR pioneers Bill France Sr. and Bill France Jr. The second class will consist of five members and is scheduled to be enshrined in May 2011. The nominees, which include many of the sport's legendary names and were announced in July, include: Bobby Allison, Buck Baker, Red Byron, Richard Childress, Jerry Cook, Richie Evans, Tim Flock, Rick Hendrick, Jack Ingram, Dale Inman, Ned Jarrett, Fred Lorenzen, Bud Moore, Raymond Parks, Benny Parsons, David Pearson, Lee Petty, Fireball Roberts, T. Wayne Robertson, Herb Thomas, Curtis Turner, Darrell Waltrip, Joe Weatherly, Glen Wood and Cale Yarborough.(NASCAR)(9-22-2010)

Drivers visiting Walter Reed: NASCAR's annual visit to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center is set for Thursday, with a total of 10 drivers scheduled to attend along with NASCAR President Mike Helton. Drivers expected to visit include #43-AJ Allmendinger, #16-Greg Biffle, #2-Kurt Busch, #38-David Gilliland,#17-Matt Kenseth, #12-Brad Keselowski, #98-Paul Menard, #87-Joe Nemechek, #39-Ryan Newman and #82-Scott Speed. Show cars on display are expected to be #39 U.S. ARMY Chevy, #88 National Guard Chevy, #99 Scotts Ford, #2 Miller Lite Dodge, #11 FedEx Toyota, #24 National Guard Chevy, #10 Sprint show car and a NASCAR/Walter Reed Army Medical Center car.(NASCAR)(9-22-2010)

100th start for Hornish: Sam Hornish Jr., driver of the Penske Racing #77 Mobil 1 Dodge, will make his 100th career NASCAR Cup Series start this weekend at Dover International Speedway. Since making the transition to stock cars from the IndyCar Series, Hornish has earned two top-five and eight top-10 finishes and has led a total of 50 laps. Hornish also has one victory in the non-points awarding NASCAR Showdown qualifying event for the All-Star Race (May, 2009).(Penske PR)(9-22-2010)

Bowyer's Crew Wins Tissot Pit Road Award at New Hampshire: Clint Bowyer's pit crew won the Tissot Pit Road Precision Award in Sunday's Sylvania 300 Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The #33 team out of the Richard Childress Racing stable also won the race with Bowyer claiming victory in the first of the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. Bowyer's Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet spent the least amount of time at the Loudon, N.H. track -139.513 seconds. Bowyer's crew consists of: Jason Pulver (front-tire changer), Austin Craven (front-tire carrier), Dustin Necaise (rear-tire changer), Matt Kreuter (rear-tire carrier), Nick Terry (jackman), Bryan Smith (gasman) and Chad Haney (catch can). Shane Wilson is the crew chief and Matt Clark is the pit crew coach. The weekly-winning crew receives $5,000 from Tissot plus a Tissot V8 Quartz Chronograph watch. The team with the most Tissot Pit Road Precision Award wins at the completion of the 36-race schedule will receive a $105,000 bonus plus Tissot watches for the over-the-wall crew members and driver. With nine Sprint Cup races remaining in the 2010 season, Jeff Gordon's No. 24 crew leads the Tissot standings with four wins. The crews for #17-Matt Kenseth and #1-Jamie McMurray are tied for second with three wins.(Tissot)(9-22-2010)

Charlotte to install world's largest HD video board: Continuing a tradition of innovation and fabulous firsts, Speedway Motorsports Inc. Chairman Bruton Smith and Charlotte Motor Speedway officials announced a partnership with Panasonic to revolutionize the fan experience at sporting events with the creation of the world's largest high-definition video board. Panasonic will also become the founding sponsor of the video board and a Speedway Motorsports Inc. alliance partner around its broad portfolio of advanced technologies. At an incredible length of 200 feet wide, standing 80 feet tall and weighing 165,000 pounds, the video board will cover an expansive 16,000 square feet and be located between Turns 2 and 3 along the backstretch of the legendary superspeedway. Fans seated throughout the frontstretch from Turn 4 to Turn 1 will have clear viewing angles of the gigantic board that will feature 720P high-definition visuals illuminated by more than nine million light emitting diode, or LED, lamps. In addition to the live race coverage, the video board will provide fans with interactive entertainment, continuous leaderboard updates, sponsor information and instant replays. Construction will begin on the video board following the Oct. 13-16 Bank of America 500 Week at Charlotte Motor Speedway and is scheduled to be complete by April, 2011.(CMS)(9-22-2010)

News from September 21, 2010

Wingo replaced as Ragan's crew chief? Hearing that Donnie Wingo is no longer the crew chief for #6-David Ragan and that Drew Blickensderfer moves up from Roush's Nationwide program as Carl Edwards crew chief, with Mike Beam taking over there. No word on Wingo's plans.(9-21-2010)

New Hampshire TV Ratings: ESPN's live telecast of the Sylvania 300 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday, Sept. 19, earned a final national household coverage rating of 2.6 (U.S. rating 2.3), averaging 3,676,828 viewers (households?), according to the Nielsen Company. Last year's race telecast aired on ABC and earned a final U.S. rating of 3.2 (ESPN). The overnights were a 2.1/5, down from last years 2.6/5 overnight with a final of 3.2/7 and 5.04 million viewers. For more see my 2010 TV Ratings page.(9-21-2010)

Conway Back Behind the Wheel at Dover: After sitting out last weekend’s race in Loudon, Kevin Conway, is ready to get back behind the wheel of the #7 ExtenZe Toyota with Robby Gordon Motorsports this weekend at Dover.(RGM)(9-21-2010)

NASCAR warns RCR about Bowyer's Richmond car: NASCAR warned Richard Childress Racing that Clint Bowyer's car came close to failing inspection after his Chase-clinching drive at Richmond. NASCAR scheduled a Tuesday meeting with RCR officials to go over the #33 Chevy and determine if the team had not made a mistake in its own calculations. "They were in the box, but getting close to some of the tolerances and we asked them to come in to see if they aren't getting off on one of their build sheets," NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton told The Associated Press. "We have had their cars in quite a bit, and they were always spot-on. This one just seemed to be different, and we felt we owed it to them to make sure they just aren't off in one area." Bowyer's car was chosen by NASCAR for random inspection following his sixth-place finish at the Sept. 11 race. The run gave him the 12th and final spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship, which began Sunday in New Hampshire. But as his team celebrated the victory, rival teams began to gossip about a potential problem with Bowyer's car from the week before. NASCAR on Tuesday confirmed that once the car got back to its North Carolina research and development center, it was discovered that the back end of the Chevy was very close to the mandated tolerance levels. NASCAR still has the car in its possession, and won't give it back to RCR until the team meets with the sanctioning body. Even if Bowyer's car had failed inspection, it wouldn't have changed the Chase field. The penalty for failed inspections runs anywhere from 50-to-100 points, and Bowyer had a 142-point cushion over Ryan Newman at the end of the Richmond race.(Associated Press/ESPN)(9-21-2010)

Tony Stewart "Smoke Shoe" on Today Show Wednesday: The Tony Stewart "Smoke Show" fantasy camp at Texas Motor Speedway that benefits the Speedway Children's Charities-Texas Chapter will be featured in a segment on NBC's Today Show, on Wednesday during the 7 a.m. CT/8 a.m. ET hour. Reporter Jenna Bush Hager, daughter of 43rd President George W. Bush and Dallas native, came out to Texas Motor Speedway in mid-August to partake in the annual charity event at Texas Motor Speedway hosted by Stewart. The "Smoke Show" is a one-day fantasy camp where each participant gets the opportunity to feel what it is like to be a NASCAR driver for a day. The participants not only drive stock cars on Texas Motor Speedway's high-banked, 1.5-mile oval, but take part in pre-race activities and a post-race Victory Lane celebration for the full experience. The day was highlighted by driving lessons and a two-seater ride for the guests, including Bush Hager, by Stewart. Hager Bush's story will focus on Stewart's charity work, including the "Smoke Show" that raised over $200,000 during the one-day event.(TMS)(9-21-2010)

Newman to run Veterans Day scheme at Phoenix: The U.S. Army and Stewart-Haas Racing announced a special paint scheme for Ryan Newman's #39 U.S. Army Chevy which gives veterans the opportunity to put their faces on the Soldiers' car running in the Kobalt Tools 500 Sprint Cup race at Phoenix International Raceway on Nov. 14. Veterans, along with their families, friends and loved ones, can go online and submit photos of the men and women who have embraced the call of duty and helped build and protect our country at www.goarmy.com/yourphotohere.
All veterans are eligible for inclusion among the photos in the special paint scheme. Images of Soldiers will be collected through Sept. 24. Those selected will be featured on the hood, trunk, side panels and bumpers when Newman gets behind the wheel of the #39 U.S. Army Chevrolet in Phoenix.
"What a cool way for us to say 'thank you' and honor the Army Strong Soldiers who have served our country," said Newman. "This is the Soldiers' car and having the faces of the brave men and women of the U.S. Army represented will be a great inspiration and a powerful reminder of what it means to be Army Strong."
The special paint scheme will serve as an extension of Veterans Day (Nov. 11) when, as a country, we honor and remember the heroism, courage and dedication displayed by our veterans. While the nation remembers the service of its veterans, the millions watching the Kobalt Tools 500 at home and the tens of thousands more at the track will get a chance to see some of the faces who represent the true heroes of the Army.
"Every time Ryan Newman drives the #39 Chevrolet with the Army colors, he represents the more than one million men and women who proudly serve our Nation," said Col. Derik Crotts, Director of Strategic Communications, Marketing and Outreach, U.S. Army Accessions Command. "For this race, with this paint scheme, we pay tribute to our heroes past and present and their families. Each picture, each face, is a reminder of the sacrifice and service of the millions who have made our Army strong and our nation free."(U.S. Army)(9-21-2010)

Charlotte Motor Speedway to Host Gigantic New Holiday Light Show: North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue and Charlotte Motor Speedway officials announced plans for Carolina Christmas, a spectacular 2.5-mile drive-through Christmas light park and
village located on the track and infield of the legendary superspeedway.
Open nightly from Nov. 22 through Jan. 2, Carolina Christmas will be one of the largest holiday light shows in the United States, featuring
nearly 500 different LED, or light emitting diode, light displays, a realistic Bethlehem-themed village, NASCAR souvenir rigs for Christmas
shopping, and themed areas for children with food, music, rides and photos with Santa.
The LED technology will give a new meaning to the "green" typically associated with Christmas. The highly efficient LED lights use nearly 90% less energy and produce a brighter light than incandescent bulbs. During its 42-night schedule, the displays will use approximately 12,000 kilowatt hours of electricity, less than 10 typical North Carolina households in a given month. Based on tourism research benchmarks and an in-depth study of other Christmas light parks in the United States, event organizers estimate 250,000 people will visit Carolina Christmas, generating a $10.2 million economic impact on the region and creating 80 seasonal jobs.
The addition of Carolina Christmas creates a "Christmas Corridor" during the holiday season that includes Concord Mills Mall and dozens of dining, entertainment and hotel attractions along Bruton Smith Boulevard in Concord.
Operating hours for Carolina Christmas will be 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm from Nov. 22 through Jan. 2, 2011. Tickets will be available online at
www.VisitCarolinaChristmas.com beginning in mid-October and also be
available at the gate nightly during event hours for drive-up traffic. Admission is just $20 per passenger vehicle, with group and motorcoach packages available.(CMS)(9-21-2010)

Talladega Superspeedway Establishing Fan Advisory Network: Talladega Superspeedway announced it is establishing a Fan Advisory Network (FAN) to gain insight on race fan interactions with the track, from the ticket buying process all the way through to the exit procedures after a race. Race fans that would like to participate in the Fan Advisory are encouraged to download an application at www.talladegasuperspeedway.com/tssfan. FAN committee members will begin their duties in January 2011. Members will be asked to meet four (4) times per year; each event weekend and two (2) other dates to be determined. In addition to four annual meetings, Talladega Superspeedway will host multiple teleconferences. The idea is to allow race fans to share thoughts and ideas with the track, while the committee can serve as a focus group for the track when considering facility upgrades and more. More info at talladegasuperspeedway.com/tssfan (TSS)(9-21-2010)

Time Limited to get some deals at Auto Club: Now is the time to get some of the best deals for NASCAR weekend at Auto Club Speedway October 8-10 before they soon expire. Experience the thrill of NASCAR, with special ticket packages offering a full weekend of world-class racing and entertainment before it's too late.
Expires September 19: Kevin Harvick Ticket Package for Only $29
Expires September 24: 10/10/10 Wedding and Vow Renewal Ticket Packages
Expires September 28: Ticket Tuesday Offer
Expires September 30: First Time Fan Ticket Package for the Pepsi MAX 400 on Sunday, Oct. 10 for $99
Expires September 30: Thunder and Chrome Ticket Package for $85
Expires October 7: All Day Food Fest Ticket Add-On just $35 (ages 13 and over) or $20 (ages 12 and under)
Expires October 9: Ford Racing Party Zone Ticket Add-on
Expires October 9: Budweiser Block Party Ticket Package for $99
Available While Supplies Last: Show Your Card and Save and Auto Club Speedway Lefty's Kids Club Members. For more information or to purchase tickets call 800-944-RACE (7223) or visit www.autoclubspeedway.com.(ACS)(9-21-2010)

Bowyer repeats: If #33-Clint Bowyer is experiencing some deja vu, he needs to look no further than three years ago for the reason why. Bowyer leaped from 12th to second in 2007 after a win at New Hampshire. He went on to finish third in the Chase.(Concord Monitor)(9-20-2010)

Cars taken back to the tech center: NASCAR spent an extended amount of inspection time with the #11-Denny Hamlin and #48-Jimmie Johnson cars which failed to pass the height sticks in the first attempt. While the officials took pictures of the cars for insurance, after the shocks cooled down both cars made it through the height sticks on the second attempt. NASCAR took the #33-Clint Bowyer and #6-David Ragan cars to the technical center for further analysis as well as engines going from the #33, #11, #6, #46-Michael McDowell cars (FoxSports)(9-20-2010)

2010 Top-5's, Top-10's: #29-Harvick leads all drivers after 27 races in 2010 with 12 Top-Five finishes, followed by #11-Hamlin with 11.
#29-Harvick leads all drivers in 2010 with 18 Top-Ten finishes.
Three drivers have run all the races in 2010 and have not scored a top-ten finish: #12-Keselowski, #71/09-Labonte and #78-Smith.(9-20-2010)

News from September 19, 2010

Bowyer wins at New Hampshire: #33-Clint Bowyer won the Sylvania 300 Sprint Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway for his 1st win of 2010 and 3rd of his career. #14-Stewart led with 2 laps to go and ran out of gas, coasting to 24th. #11-Hamlin finished second followed by #1-McMurray, #88-Earnhardt Jr., #29-Harvick, #24-Gordon, #00-Reutimann, #39-Newman, #18-Busch and #77-Hornish Jr. Pole sitter #12-Keselowski finished 18th.
The win is the first for a car #33 since Joe Nemechek won at Rockingham in Nov 2001, the 21st win for the car #33. It is the first win for sponsor Cherrios since it came in to the sport with Roush Racing on the #26 car, moved to the #43 car from 2000-2008, and came to RCR's #33 starting in the 2009 season.
There were 21 lead changes among 8 drivers and 8 cautions for 34 yellow flag laps. The attendance was reported at 95,000, down from last years 101,000.Scheduled Race Re-Airs are ESPN2, Monday, September 20 at 3:30am; and SPEED, Wednesday, September 22 at 12:00pm/et.
See race results, awards, laps led and more on Jayski's New Hampshire Race Results/Awards page.(9-19-2010)

Race Fast Facts - New Hampshire:
Clint Bowyer won the Sylvania 300, his third victory in 172 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
This is his first victory and 15th top-10 finish in 2010.
This is his second victory and fourth top-10 finish in ten races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Denny Hamlin (second) posted his seventh top-10 finish in ten races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. It is his 12th top-10 finish in 2010.
Jamie McMurray (third) posted his fourth top-10 finish in 16 races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Denny Hamlin leads the point standings by 35 points over Clint Bowyer.(NASCAR Statistics)(9-19-2010)

Top-35 in Owner Points and guaranteed a starting spot at Dover:
No one moved in to or out of the top-35. The #7 team stays in 35th and increases lead to 110 pts from 83. #26 team dnq'd and drops to 38thy, #38 moves top 36th place, 110 pts out of the top 35.
34) #71-Cassill-Labonte/TRG: 1980, +149
35) #7-Gordon/Conway/RGM, 1941, 110 points ahead of 36ththese teams/ drivers must qualify by speed:
36) #38-Kvapil-Blaney/Front Row: 1831, -1103 points out of the top 35
37) #26-Green/Latitude43: 1796, -145
The teams are NOT locked in past the next race as the owners points change after each race.
For the owner points standings, see my Owners Points Standings page.(9-19-2010)

Almirola to stand by for Speed: Aric Almirola subbed for ailing Scott Speed, who spent part of Saturday's second [Happy Hour practice] session getting IV fluids in the New Hampshire Motor Speedway infield care center. Speed, who was suffering from a stomach bug, felt well enough by the end of practice to walk over to the Red Bull Racing garage stall as Almirola completed practice in the #82 Toyota. Speed is expected to be behind the wheel for Sunday's Sylvania 300, though the team has asked Almirola to stand by in case he's needed (Sporting News)(9-19-2010)

Elliott Keeps It In The Family: Chase Elliott [son of NASCAR Legend Bill Elliott] made sure all the accolades were kept in the family winning the inaugural George Elliott Memorial 100 Presented By Monolith Companies Saturday at Gresham Motorsports Park in Jefferson, GA. Elliott captured the event honoring his grandfather by leading every lap of the 100-circuit Super Late Model test on the GMP half-mile oval. It wasn't easy, however, as Elliott had to hold off a hard-charging Bubba Pollard over the final 15 laps to score the victory.(Gresham Motorsports Park)(9-19-2010)

Mears plans full run in 2011: Casey Mears says he's locked in with Germain Racing for next season. GEICO Insurance will sponsor the #13 Toyota for 18 races in 2011, but the team is currently searching for additional sponsorship. "We're going to run all the races," Mears said. "Honestly, I've been impressed with (crew chief Robert "Bootie" Barker) and the guys. They build fast race cars."(FoxSports)(9-19-2010)

Newman & Busch win Saturday races at NHMS: Ryan Newman earned the modified sweep for 2010 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday, winning both poles and both races this season behind the wheel of team owner [#1 EGR Crew Chief] Kevin "Bono" Manion's #7 Aggressive Hydraulics/ Menards Chevy. Jimmy Blewett took second place driving his #14 Ling Trucking/ Atlantic Sprinkler Chevy. This is Blewett's third top-five finish at "The Magic Mile." Fan favorite Mike Stefanik driver of the No. 16 Diversifield Metals/ R.B. Enterprises Pontiac came in third making this his 33rd top-five finish and his 47th top-10 finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Kyle Busch took the checkered flag for the second straight year in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series TheRaceDayRaffleSeries.com 175 race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. It was Busch's 21st victory in 80 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races. It was also his 80th NASCAR victory in all three top series. More info on Jayski's Truck Series site.
Tickets are still available for the Sylvania 300 Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday. To Purchase your ticket please call the ticket hotline at (603) (603) 783-4931 or visit online at www.nhms.com.(NHMS)(9-19-2010)

Week 11 Daytona Repave Update: The crew from Lane Construction continued work on paving the steep 31-degree high banks of Daytona International Speedway during the 11th week of the 2010 Daytona Repave project. On Thursday, workers from Lane put down the top pass of the leveling course (the third of four layers of asphalt) on Turns 3 and 4 and expect to finish work on the bottom pass over the next week. The paving of the wearing course -- the final layer of asphalt -- will begin thereafter. The first paving of the wearing course will start at the beginning of the Superstretch, run through Turns 3 and 4 and the tri-oval and finish at the entrance of Turn 1.
Other highlights from the 11th week of work on repaving Daytona International Speedway include:
· Maintenance work on the large paver
· Paving on the Superstretch skid pad
· Placement and grading of the aggregate base on pit road
About the Daytona Repave: Lane Construction, which repaved other ISC race tracks including Talladega Superspeedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway, Richmond International Raceway and Darlington Raceway, will use an estimated 50,000 tons of asphalt to repave more than 1.4 million square feet of Daytona International Speedway and has a target completion date of Jan. 1, 2011.
Race fans can view the progression of the historic repaving project from a section of the Oldfield Grandstands, which will open free to the public. Track tours will also be available through attraction admission to Daytona 500 Experience. For tickets and more information on Daytona International Speedway events, visit www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or call 1-800-PITSHOP.(DIS)(9-19-2010)

NASCAR This Week on ESPN: The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship begins Sunday, Sept. 19, as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races for 300 laps at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H., and ESPN will have a live telecast. The NASCAR Countdown pre-race show airs at 12:00pm/et on ESPN2 with the race telecast on ESPN at 1:00pm/et. The race's green flag is scheduled for 1:15 pm/et.
Also from New Hampshire, ESPN2 will air NASCAR Sprint Cup practice on Friday, Sept. 17, at 11:30am/et and qualifying at 3:00pm/et. Sandwiched between the on-track action will be the 2010 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup preview, a half-hour program airing at 1:00pm/et Friday on ESPN2.
Marty Reid will call the action with analysis by Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree. Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage, while pit reporters will be Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch and Vince Welch.
NASCAR Countdown from the ESPN pit studio will be hosted by Allen Bestwick with analysis by Rusty Wallace, Ray Evernham and Brad Daugherty. The studio team will interact with the booth during the telecast of the race.

Pit Stall Selections - New Hampshire: The selections of pit stalls for the Sylvania 300 Sprint Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway have been made. Pole sitter #12-Keselowski chose pit stall 1 [as do most pole sitters].
Outside pole sitter #33-Bowyer took pit stall 29, the 3rd with an opening in front of it.
#14-Stewart, who starts 3rd took the 25th pit stall, the 2nd with an opening behind it.
The 43rd and final pit stall was taken by #31-Burton, who starts 13th.
To see where all the drivers/teams pit stall is, see the pit selection chart on the Pit Stall Selection chart.(9-18-2010)

Gordon comments on sponsorship issues: #24-Jeff Gordon, met with members of the media at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and discussed sponsorships on Friday:
Q) HAS THE SPONSORSHIP THING BEEN DISCOURAGING FOR YOU WITH NOT HAVING DUPONT THE WHOLE SEASON AND THE WALMART THING, ARE YOU SURPRISED THAT A DRIVER OF YOUR CALIBER IS EVEN IN THIS POSITION?Gordon: "I'll be honest, as a driver, it's not something that I put a lot of thought into. I mean, I certainly would like to see us with a sponsor that could be really good for our organization. Good for the sport and good marketing and wants to be a part of our program and get behind it. Right now, my focus is on driving and trying to go out there and be as good as we can be in the Chase. That is pretty much the message that has been sent to me through Rick (Hendrick) is don't worry about it. We have got a lot of people working hard on it and it'll come together. The Walmart thing was a little disappointing because I feel like everybody was wanting to see that company in this sport for a long time and we would have loved to have represented them. But, I'm so excited to be involved with DuPont and Pepsi and sponsors that we have had for a number of years. I think we still have some things that are going to come together."(Team Chevy transcript)(9-18-2010)

Stewart comments on sponsorship issues: #14-Tony Stewart, met with members of the media at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and discussed sponsorships on Friday:
Q) IN YOUR SEARCH FOR SPONSORSHIP, HAVE YOU BEEN FORCED TO TRY NEW APPROACHES OR APPROACH DIFFERENT KINDS OF COMPANIES THAT YOU DIDN'T NECESSARILY THINK YOU WOULD TRY TO REACH OUT TO?Stewart: "I think you always have to be that way. I think you always have to think outside the box. When you're selling something, and you go in there with the same approach that everybody else has, what makes your organization stand out from theirs? I think that's kind of the way we thought about it from day one because we were a new company anyway, so it was easy to start with new ideas and a new approach."
Q) EVEN WITH THE ECONOMY IN A SLUMP, IS IT SURPRISING THAT GUYS LIKE YOU AND JEFF GORDON, STARS OF THE SPORT, ARE LOOKING FOR SPONSORS AT THIS POINT IN THE SEASON?Stewart: "Not necessarily. We all understand the situation. We all understand why corporate America has had to pull the reigns back a little bit. So is it a surprise and a shock? No, not necessarily. If you look in this garage area, it's still a thriving sport and it's still represented by a lot of Fortune 500 companies. I wouldn't stand here and say that we're all in bad shape, because the sport is very healthy right now. All you've got to do is walk through the garage area and see that."(Team Chevy transcript)(9-18-2010)

Latest on Fuel Injection: Robin Pemberton, NASCAR's vice president of competition, said that if all goes well, fuel injection could debut in the middle of next season in Cup.(Roanoke Times)(9-18-2010)

What is Mark Martin's son up to? #5-Mark Martin's 19-year-old son Matt has moved to North Carolina from the family's home in Florida and begun an internship at Hendrick Motorsports. He'll work with the organization's strength and conditioning coach.(Roanoke Times)(9-18-2010)

Sad News - Hilly Rife: Hillen "Hilly" Rife, 83, of Ormond Beach, FL, one of racing's pioneer promoters and friend of NASCAR founder Bill France Sr., died Friday [Sept 17th] morning after a long battle with cancer. Rife, who made one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start in 1954, moved here [Daytona area] from Pennsylvania in 1990 so he could assist the Frances when the family patriarch was slowed by Alzheimer's disease. Rife's primary duty was to drive France around town to keep various appointments. Several family members, including his wife, Becky, survive Rife. Services are pending. Lohman Funeral Home, Ormond Beach, is in charge.(see full story at the Daytona Beach News Journal)(9-18-2010)

#2 Team caught with an extra set of tires UPDATE 2: The #2 Penske Racing team of Kurt Busch, was accused of harboring an extra set of tires acquired from the #64 Gunselman Motorsports team. Crew chief Steve Addington called situation "a miscommunication with NASCAR." Addington was attempting to make a qualifying run with a pair of scuffed left tires and fresh "sticker" tires on the right. For his effort, driver Kurt Busch posted the 12th fastest lap with a speed of 132.864 mph. "It was a mix-up and we got penalized for it," said Addington who will lose a set of tires for Saturday's two practice sessions. The #2 Dodge will have to run both sessions with just two sets of tires. Teams are allowed six set of tires for practice and qualifying at New Hampshire. Addington will retain all eight sets of his tires for the Sylvania 300. When NASCAR was asked about the situation, Sprint Cup Series Director John Darby said the sanctioning body "won't know (of any repercussions) for sure until the end of the second practice tomorrow."(FoxSports)(9-17-2010)UPDATE: NASCAR officials said that no determination of a penalty will be made until the sanctioning body goes through the tire inventories of both teams. If a penalty is forthcoming, it will be imposed Saturday morning before practice starts. Each Sprint Cup team is allowed an aggregate six sets of tires at New Hampshire for three practice sessions and qualifying. The allocation for Sunday's Sylvania 300 Cup race is eight sets of tires and would be unaffected by any penalty (Sporting News)(9-18-2010)UPDATE2: NASCAR held Kurt Busch on pit road for the first 15 minutes of Saturday's practice as punishment for being caught with an extra set of tires. Busch had to sit inside his #2 Miler Lite Dodge as cars zoomed around him during the first practice session. A NASCAR official stood in front of his car to signify he was being held. Behind his Dodge was the car of #64-Gunselman Motorsports, with driver Landon Cassill in the car. That team was also punished because it was their tires that Penske Racing was found to have on Friday.
NASCAR allows teams to use six sets of tires for practice and qualifying on Friday and Saturday. Penske had the option of swapping its assigned six sets with other teams through Goodyear, and Busch's team apparently didn't turn a set in when it was given Gunselman's tires. That pushed their inventory to an illegal seven sets. NASCAR on Saturday stripped Busch's team of a set as further penalty, leaving him with five sets of tires for use over the two practice sessions. "The tire transfer wasn't done correctly," Sprint Cup Series director John Darby said, adding that Busch will be allowed the full allotment of eight sets for Sunday's opening race of the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. Busch crew chief Steve Addington said his team did not use the seventh set of tires Friday, and its mistake was not giving Gunselman's team a set during practice.(Associated Press)(9-18-2010)

Latest on Hornish-Penske UPDATE 2: As president of Penske Racing, Tim Cindric presides over an empire that operates out of a complex that is over 400,000 square feet in Mooresville, N.C., and requires an annual influx of roughly $100 million to remain competitive in a total of four racing series. This season, they've done so to a high level across the board. Cindric talked about that and a variety of topics with NASCAR.COM. A couple Q & A's about #77-Sam Hornish Jr.
Q: What do you foresee happening with the 77?
Cindric: Right now we're still in search of a primary sponsor for that car. That search will continue for the rest of the year. The good news is that it's September and not December.
Q: What does that mean for Hornish? Will he be back for sure?
Cindric: I wouldn't say anything is for sure. You can't race without the funding. So as we sit right now, we're collectively trying to do that -- but we also understand that if there are opportunities for him, it's an open book as far as communication. We're certainly not going to stand in his way as far as furthering his career, but we'd certainly like for him to be able to continue with us.(NASCAR.com)(9-15-2010)UPDATE: While Penske Racing is keeping mum on Verizon leaving the NASCAR side of the program and Justin Allgaier's status for next season, sources say don't be surprised if Sam Hornish Jr. ends up in a Nationwide Series ride as Brad Keselowski's teammate in 2011 (FoxSports)(9-17-2010)UPDATE 2: Sam Hornish Jr. has been given permission by Penske Racing to seek employment elsewhere, and the 2006 Indianapolis 500 winner no longer is ruling out a return to IndyCar. The three-time champion of the Izod IndyCar Series is nearing the end of his third full season in the Sprint Cup Series, and sponsor Mobil 1 is leaving the team. Hornish says team owner Roger Penske wants to keep him in the fold but might not be able to if sponsorship doesn't materialize. "Roger has told me a million times and the media a million times that if they have the money to put me in the Cup series that they'd do it," Hornish said after qualifying 15th Friday for the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. "We just don't have that yet. They asked what my preference was, and my preference was to stay in the Cup Series. They're not going to stand in my way if I get the opportunity to be able to do that." Hornish says there are several scenarios that could keep him with Penske in either a Nationwide or Cup ride, but nothing was certain. During an interview in April, he seemed steadfast about staying in NASCAR. But Friday, he had softened his stance on IndyCar. "I need to see how everything plays out," Hornish said. "I've said a lot of times I don't have a lot of interest to go back. But I'm not going to say never. My goal is to try to stay in the Cup series, and if I have to take a step back and run Nationwide, that's a possibility. I'll have to wait and see how it plays out, I guess." Speculation about a possible return was heightened in the past week when it became apparent that Panther Racing might have an opening. After this season, 2005 Indy 500 and IndyCar champion Dan Wheldon apparently will leave the team that gave Hornish his break.(USA Today)(9-18-2010)

News from September 17, 2010

Keselowski wins pole at New Hampshire: #12-Brad Keselowski won the Coors Pole for the Sylvania 300 Sprint Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with a track record speed of 133.572mph for his 1st pole of 2010 and of his career.
#33-Bowyer will start 2nd followed by #14-Stewart, #1-McMurray, #42-Montoya, #43-Allmendinger, #00-Reutimann, #98-Menard, #18-Busch & #99-Edwards.
The go-or-go homers who made the race (8): #13-Mears, #36-Blaney, #64-Cassill, #87-Nemechek, #55-Bliss, #46-McDowell, #38-Kvapil and #09-Labonte makes the field via the past champions provisional
The go-or-go homers who failed to qualify for the race (2): #66-Sauter and #26-Green.
See the starting lineup, qualifying speeds and notes on my New Hampshire Starting Lineup/Qualifying Results page.(9-17-2010)

Qualifying Fast Facts - New Hampshire:
#12-Brad Keselowski won the Coors Light Pole Award for the Sylvania 300 with a lap of 28.515 seconds, 133.572 mph.
This is his first pole in 44 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
This is his first pole and fourth top-10 start in 2010.
This is his first pole in three races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
#33-Clint Bowyer (second) posted his 12th top-10 start of 2010 and his fourth in ten races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
#14-Tony Stewart (third) posted his 15th top-10 start at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. It is his 14th in 27 races this season.(NASCAR Statistics)(9-17-2010)

Qualifying Order for the Sylvania 300 Sprint Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway is posted. 45 cars/drivers are listed. Go-or-go homers will qualify at the end of the session, once the top-35 drivers are done.
The first of the top-35 drivers scheduled to go out is #9-Kahne.
The final top-35 driver scheduled to go out is #29-Harvick.
The first go-or-go homer scheduled to qualify [36th] is #55-Bliss with the final driver scheduled to qualify being #87-Nemechek.
See the full qualifying order on the New Hampshire Qualifying Page.(9-17-2010)

Friday Practice: for the Sylvania 300 Sprint Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway is over, after 90 scheduled minutes, the top five, slowest, notes:
#14-Stewart (X) 133.628
#99-Edwards (X) 133.385
#47-Ambrose 133.128
#43-Allmendinger 132.952
#18-Busch (X) 132.896
(X) = Chase Driver
slowest: #46-McDowell 126.270 [in his one lap before wrecking] & #55-Bliss 127.491
notes: late in practice, #11-Hamlin spun around coming off pit road, no damage and he went out and ran the 3rd fastest lap for that point in practice.
the weather is a challenge as it rained earlier and it is misting on-an-off at the track
#46-McDowell slammed the turn 2 wall early in practice after either losing an engine or having an oli line come off/break, the team will go to a backup car, which is a Dodge.
See fastest lap, laps run, average speed on my New Hampshire Practice Speeds Page.(9-17-2010)

#2 Team caught with an extra set of tires: The #2 Penske Racing team of Kurt Busch, was accused of harboring an extra set of tires acquired from the #64 Gunselman Motorsports team. Crew chief Steve Addington called situation “a miscommunication with NASCAR.” Addington was attempting to make a qualifying run with a pair of scuffed left tires and fresh “sticker” tires on the right. For his effort, driver Kurt Busch posted the 12th fastest lap with a speed of 132.864 mph. “It was a mix-up and we got penalized for it,” said Addington who will lose a set of tires for Saturday’s two practice sessions. The #2 Dodge will have to run both sessions with just two sets of tires. Teams are allowed six set of tires for practice and qualifying at New Hampshire. Addington will retain all eight sets of his tires for the Sylvania 300. When NASCAR was asked about the situation, Sprint Cup Series Director John Darby said the sanctioning body “won’t know (of any repercussions) for sure until the end of the second practice tomorrow.”(FoxSports)(9-17-2010)

Speed discusses his future: from a Scott Speed diary - "There has been a lot going on at Red Bull Racing lately, led by our latest driver signing of Kasey Kahne. I think anyone in Red Bull’s position would have done the same thing, so it is a good thing for them. I feel confident that I’ll still be around so it doesn’t change my program and in fact, it will give me another resource to work with" (Frontstretch), Speed runs the #82 Red Bull Toyota for Red Bull Racing and with Brian Vickers planning on returning from blood clot issues and Kasey Kahne signing for a year to run a car for TRB, speculation has Speed possibly being out of a ride in 2011.(9-17-2010)

Gordon, Stewart, Busch Visit ESPN Campus; Stewart Wins 5-lap Race: NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch visited the ESPN campus in Bristol, Ct., today and appeared on various ESPN programs and platforms in advance of Sunday’s first race of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship. During their day at ESPN, the three drivers competed against each other with radio-controlled race cars on an oval track set up outside of some buildings on the ESPN campus. They raced for five laps, with Stewart taking the win. Gordon finished second and Busch was third after rolling his car trying to catch Stewart on the last lap. Highlights were shown on NASCAR Now, ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program.

Chase Stats going into New Hampshire: #48-Jimmie Johnson is the only Sprint Cup driver who has made all seven Chase for the Sprint Cup fields. #11-Denny Hamlin, who did not start fulltime in the series until 2006, has made all five he's attempted. #5-Mark Martin made the first three Chases, then went part time in 2007 and 2008, then got back in the Chase as he resumed a fulltime schedule in 2009. He missed this year's Chase by 155 points. Only in Chase I in 2004 did a driver who finished worse than fourth in the regular season point standings go on to win the Chase. Kurt Busch scored the seventh most points that season, went on a tear early in the Chase, then withstood the challenge of Jimmie Johnson to prevail by a scant 8 points at Homestead. Richard Childress Racing is easily the comeback story of 2010. After being shut out of the 2009 Chase, RCR stormed back this season to place all three drivers in the field, including #29-Kevin Harvick's amazing turnaround from 22nd to 1st over the first 26 races.
For season-to-season comparison after 25 races, current standings and more, see my Chase Stats after Atlanta page. And for Chase history, how the 'old system' would had played out and more, see my 2010 Chase Rules and News page.(9-17-2010)

And Some More Chase Notes: Each of the 12 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers can find a bit of good news
heading for Sunday's Sylvania 300. Ten have at least one New Hampshire Motor Speedway victory on their resumes, led by #31-Jeff Burton with four wins. #48-Jimmie Johnson has won three times, including June's stop. #2-Kurt Busch and #24-Jeff Gordon also are
three-time winners. Tony Stewart has won twice. In fact, the only "winless" Chase drivers in New Hampshire are #99-Carl Edwards and #17-Matt Kenseth, whose best finishes are seconds.
There have been 11 consecutive different winners at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
This week's winner could come from the "spoiler" category – a driver not a part of the Chase contingent. #5-Mark Martin and #39-Ryan Newman are part of the different winners' streak that began in the summer of 2005. New Hampshire Motor Speedway also has produced five first-time winners, most recently #20-Joey Logano in 2009.(NASCAR)(9-17-2010)

Danica to run K&N Pro Series East race at Dover: Danica Patrick will attempt to tackle the monster twice with the announcement of her intent to enter the "Sunoco 150" NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at Dover on Sept. 24. Patrick will behind the wheel of the #83 JR Motorsports entry in the Friday afternoon race. The Sunoco 150 at Dover serves as the season finale for NASCAR's top developmental series, and a champion will be crowned when the checkered flag falls. Patrick will also race the #7 GoDaddy.com Chevy for JR Motorsports in the 200-mile NASCAR Nationwide Series event on Saturday, Sept. 25. Prior to the event, Patrick will participate in a free question-and-answer session on the base of the Monster Monument at Victory Plaza. NASCAR returns to the Monster Mile on Sept. 24-26, 2010. For more information, or to purchase tickets, call 1-800-441-RACE or visit DoverSpeedway.com.(Dover International Speedway)(9-17-2010)

Latest on Hornish-Penske UPDATE: As president of Penske Racing, Tim Cindric presides over an empire that operates out of a complex that is over 400,000 square feet in Mooresville, N.C., and requires an annual influx of roughly $100 million to remain competitive in a total of four racing series. This season, they've done so to a high level across the board. Cindric talked about that and a variety of topics with NASCAR.COM. A couple Q & A's about #77-Sam Hornish Jr.
Q: What do you foresee happening with the 77?
Cindric: Right now we're still in search of a primary sponsor for that car. That search will continue for the rest of the year. The good news is that it's September and not December.
Q: What does that mean for Hornish? Will he be back for sure?
Cindric: I wouldn't say anything is for sure. You can't race without the funding. So as we sit right now, we're collectively trying to do that -- but we also understand that if there are opportunities for him, it's an open book as far as communication. We're certainly not going to stand in his way as far as furthering his career, but we'd certainly like for him to be able to continue with us.(NASCAR.com)(9-15-2010)UPDATE: While Penske Racing is keeping mum on Verizon leaving the NASCAR side of the program and Justin Allgaier's status for next season, sources say don't be surprised if Sam Hornish Jr. ends up in a Nationwide Series ride as Brad Keselowski's teammate in 2011 (FoxSports)(9-17-2010)

NHRA Driver Considering a NASCAR try: Antron Brown admitted he'd be interested in NASCAR during lunch last week at the Charlotte Motor Speedway's Speedway Club, in town to promote this weekend's O'Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at the zMax Dragway [in Concord]. Brown is the only racer to ever make a successful jump from Pro Stock Bikes to Top Fuel. He's led the point standings in both divisions, winning 16 races on the bike and, so far, eight in the dragster. He's also ridden shotgun with the USAF Thunderbirds, set sprinting records at New Jersey's Mercer College, ran a 100-meter dash fast enough to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Trials, hangs out with NFL players and, as the folks at zMax Dragway have documented, he can do just about anything in four seconds.
When Randy Moss became a Truck series team owner in mid-2008, he started chatting up Brown about the possibility of testing one of his team's Toyota Tundras. "Randy's serious about it. But we just haven't been able to get the schedules synced up. We chatted about it over the winter, but once the season gets going I'm all over the place, and now Randy's a little busy too, you know?"
"I think anyone would like to give oval racing a shot. I follow NASCAR and I also love to go over to Indianapolis to the see the Indy Cars. But I'm still a young guy and I have things I need to accomplish over here first." Brown is a sponsor's dream. He's a smart, good-looking racer who makes a memorable point nearly every time he opens his mouth, a la Jeff Burton. His stick-and-ball sports background, along with his skin color (which he has to be coaxed into talking about) crosses into demographics that racing has long struggled to reach. And no one works harder along the autograph ropes of Nitro Alley, citing the examples set by his childhood hero, Don "Big Daddy" Garlits, who once went out of his way to spend time with young Antron. The general consensus among motorsport marketers is that Brown could become a media superstar if given the right stage. Some believe that stage exists only in NASCAR. Brown is not one of those people.
"I love where I am. I grew up at the dragstrip with my father and my uncle (who still compete in the NHRA's Division 1 Top Sportsman class). I like where the NHRA is right now. And I like where they are headed."(ESPN)(9-17-2010)

News from September 16, 2010

NHMS & RPM send tickets to employee's of Hartford Distributor: New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Richard Petty Motorsports are teaming up to make this weekend a little brighter for the employees impacted by the Hartford Distributor tragedy, by sending 250 tickets for all employees to the Sylvania 300 and four Richard Petty Motorsports NASCAR Sprint Cup Series haulers to the facility Thursday morning. One of the victims, Doug Scruton, had dreams of retiring in New Hampshire before the tragedy occurred. Scruton, 56 had worked for the company for 30 years and was months away from retirement in the White Mountains. Jerry Gappens, executive vice president and general manager of New Hampshire Motor Speedway was more than willing to donate the tickets to the employees and families. "I think it is just such a positive thing to give these folks the opportunity to come out to the speedway and enjoy themselves this weekend with some exciting NASCAR racing," said Gappens. "It was just the right thing to do." The Richard Petty Motorsports haulers will make a pit stop on their way to the speedway tomorrow at 8:00 am. The employees will have the opportunity to tour and visit with the four haulers and teams.(NHMS)(9-16-2010)

Race and Commercial Breakdown of the 2010 Air Guard 400: For those of you NASCAR fans that like stats and love to hate commercials, or wonder how often your driver was focused on, here is the breakdown for Saturday’s race. ESPN on ABC was the broadcast team for this event.
Start time to record race/commercial periods: 7:30 PM
End time to record race/commercial periods: 10:41 PM
Total minutes: 191
Minutes of race broadcast: 137
Minutes of commercials: 54
Number of missed restarts: 0
Total number of commercials: 108
Total number of companies or entities advertised: 72
Total number of brief promos of products/services during the race broadcast: 31
Number of ‘mystery cautions’ (debris not shown): 0
Number of State Governors to lead the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance: 1 VA Governor Bob McDonnell
Total race brdcst time 137 Total comm. brdcst time 54
See driver focus, links and past races on my 2010 TV Commercials Page.(9-16-2010)

Montoya and the Energizer Bunny at NHMS: The Energizer Bunny will be powering the #42 Chevy of Juan Pablo Montoya this weekend and he is all charged up and ready to Keep Going all the way to victory lane. The Energizer Bunny is leading his company into new and exciting territory in 2011. From solar lights to exciting new chargers for smart phones proving Energizer is way more than just a battery company (EGR), see images of the Energizer scheme on my #42 Team Schemes page(9-16-2010)

Sadler's to host guest & car to feature Air Force colors: The #19 team will have a very special guest with them this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Gen. Douglas M. Fraser , Commander, U.S. Southern Command, Miami, Fla. USSOUTHCOM will be on hand to cheer on Sadler and the Air Force team. Gen. Fraser is responsible for all Department of Defense security cooperation in the 45 nations and territories of Central and South America and the Caribbean Sea, an area of 16 million square miles (RPM), see images of the Air Force scheme on my #19 Team Schemes page(9-16-2010)

Johnson featured in Golf Mag: #48-Jimmie Johnson is featured in the first-annual Golf Magazine No. 1 Issue, a cover-to-cover celebration of golf excellence. The October 2010 issue hits newsstands Sept. 14. Jimmie is a part of a 24-page People Portfolio that also includes interviews with Bill Murray, Larry David, Michael Jordan and other well-known golfers. Johnson appeared in a segment on the final season premiere of The Oprah Winfrey Show on Monday, Sept. 13.(Team Lowes)(9-16-2010)

New 'Granite' Start/Finish line unveiled: Inspired by the famous "Yard of Bricks" at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a new start/finish line was unveiled at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway Thursday, September 16. The "Granite Stripe" is a six-inch thick, two-foot-wide strip of New Hampshire granite that stretches across the 65-foot wide NHMS front straightaway at the start/finish line. New Hampshire is known as the Granite State. Though the new start/finish line was the idea of New Hampshire Motor Speedway executive vice president and general manager, he said he didn't have to think hard for his idea.
"Growing up in a racing family in Indiana, I was well aware of some of auto racing's great traditions," said Gappens. "I knew of 'The Lady in Black' (Darlington) and 'The Rock' (Rockingham), but for me the 'Yard of Bricks' at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was racing's sacred ground. And the bricks just didn't mean something to the Indy drivers. We've all seen what 'kissing the bricks' means to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers." When plans were being made to celebrate "20 Years of Motorsports Magic," Gappens was looking for more than an advertising slogan to celebrate.
"New Hampshire Motor Speedway means a great deal to a lot of people in the racing community, especially racers here in the northeast. Now that the race track will play host again to two of the most prestigious forms of racing in the world – the IZOD IndyCar Series and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series -- it was important to me that we do something special and something that may create a "Magic Mile" tradition."
Swenson Granite, located in Concord, N.H., created the Granite Stripe. It will eventually feature three engraved logos documenting the history of the track: New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Bryar Motorsports Park and the New Hampshire International Speedway logo emblems will all have a permanent home at new rock solid finish line. Special thanks to Scott Herrick of Swenson Granite for donating the granite, Mike Bussier of Granite State Curb for setting the granite, Al Brock of Brock Concrete for laying the concrete, and Sara Perry of Perry Brothers Monument for etching the NHMS logo into the "Granite Stripe."
Tickets are still available for the SYLVANIA 300, September 16-19. Purchase your tickets now by calling the ticket hotline at (603) 783-4931 or by visiting online at www.nhms.com.(NHMS)(9-16-2010)

Talladega Superspeedway Is Getting Juiced For Fall Weekend: The AMP Energy 500 is getting a wake up call this year, with the addition of 100% juice. The race has been renamed the AMP Energy Juice 500 to promote new AMP Energy Juice, which has all the power of AMP Energy in a 100% juice formula. A new alternative that ignites and kick starts the day, AMP Energy Juice contains all the power of AMP Energy, while also providing an excellent source of B and C vitamins. Made with a stimulating blend of taurine, ginseng, guarana and no sugar added, the new AMP Energy Juice is a great option for those looking for solutions to get a boost of energy. For tickets and more info call 1-877-Go2-DEGA or visit www.talladegasuperspeedway.com.(TSS)(9-16-2010)

National Anthem singer named for Dover: Southern pop artist Jessie James will sing the national anthem prior to the start of the "AAA 400" NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway on Sunday, Sept. 26. James' recent single and upcoming album title, "Boys in the Summer," was featured on the Billboard charts in several categories this summer, and she'll also entertain fans with her hit song during pre-race for the AAA 400. James' performance adds to the growing list of entertainment for fans surrounding three days of NASCAR events at the Monster Mile this September. For a full list of fan attractions, visit DoverSpeedway.com and click the "Sept. 24-26 race weekend fan activities and attractions" link. NASCAR returns to the Monster Mile on Sept. 24-26, 2010. For more information, or to purchase tickets, call 1-800-441-RACE or visit DoverSpeedway.com.(DIS)(9-16-2010)

News from September 15, 2010

Changes at Red Bull; Francis may join team: Red Bull Racing is restructuring its management team, though general manager Jay Frye will not be impacted by the changes to the NASCAR Sprint Cup organization. Frye will retain his current role, but technical director John Probst will have a larger role in the day-to-day operation of the teams. Probst will take on greater responsibility and oversee the manufacturing of the race cars and the fabrication and body shops. His move is an effort to streamline the organization that has struggled with its two-car Cup effort this season. Frye will continue to be active in the daily operation and administration of the team, with Probst concentrating on the competition side. In related news, #9-Kasey Kahne’s Richard Petty Motorsports’ crew chief Kenny Francis is close to signing a deal to join Kahne with the team for the 2011 season. Kahne has already announced plans to drive for the team next season, though his car number and whether the team will field two or three entries has not been confirmed (FoxSports)(9-15-2010)

Some Chassis selections for New Hampshire:#1-Jamie McMurray: Crew Chief Kevin “Bono” Manion and the #1 McDonald’s team will bring chassis #1008 to New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend. This chassis was last used at the first 2010 New Hampshire event in June where McMurray finished 18th. The chassis was also used in April at Phoenix where McMurray battled handling issues after an on track altercation forced a 24th-place finish.#2-Kurt Busch and his Steve Addington-led “Blue Deuce” team will be debuting their brand new “PRS-737” Dodge Charger at New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend. “It’s one of our latest model Miller Lite Dodge Chargers and we can’t wait to get after it there at Loudon this weekend,” offered crew chief Addington. “We tested at Milwaukee a couple of weeks back and we think we can utilize some of the things we learned there this weekend. We’re thrilled to be in the Chase and now the big challenge begins this weekend at Loudon.”#5-Mark Martin: crew chief Alan Gustafson has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-588 in Sunday's race at New Hampshire. Martin finished 21st in this chassis at this track in June. He posted a fourth-place finish in No. 5-588 at Phoenix in April.#6-David Ragan: Primary: RK-613 Last ran Pocono – finished 14th
Backup: RK-633 Last ran Michigan fall ‘09 – finished 30th. The #6 UPS Ford will feature a new TV panel this weekend in support of UPS’s recently launched “We Love Logistics” campaign. The Twin Mountain center (SLIC – 0350) in the Northeast District has been selected as the UPS Maximum Center for this weekend’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.#9-Kasey Kahne: The Budweiser Ford team will utilize Chassis No. 637 this weekend. It’s the same car they ran in June at NHMS when Kahne led more than a third of the race.#11-Denny Hamlin: and the FedEx Racing team will unload Chassis JGR 282, a new car from the JGR stable, this weekend in New Hampshire. JGR #267 will serve in backup duty. The #11 FedEx Small Business Camry will carry the letters BOS on the B-posts this weekend at New Hampshire in recognition of FedEx Express Boston market’s excellence in performance and customer service.#12-Brad Keselowski: The #12 Penske Dodge Charger team will use chassis PRS-708 during Sunday’s Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Keselowski last drove this chassis to a 20th-place finish in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte in May.

#14-Tony Stewart: Chassis No. 14-587: This car made its debut in March at Martinsville, where it qualified fifth and finished 26th. Prior to Martinsville, Chassis No. 14-587 never turned a wheel on the racetrack. With a new body honed in the wind tunnel, it was tested at The Milwaukee Mile June 1 in preparation for its second career start in June at New Hampshire. There, Chassis No. 14-587 earned a hard-fought second-place finish, for after starting 25th. The car returns to New Hampshire this weekend for its third career start.#16-Greg Biffle: crew chief Greg Erwin on New Hampshire: “We’re taking a brand new car to the track this weekend. We obviously missed the mark in Richmond so we are looking forward to getting a fresh start in the Chase with a new car.#17-Matt Kenseth: Primary: RK-704 (brand new chassis)#18-Kyle Busch: Chassis No. 283 is a brand new race car that will turn its first competitive laps in Sunday’s Sylvania 300.#19-Elliott Sadler: The #19 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 576 for this weekend's event. This is the first time this season the Air Force Racing team will utilize this particular chassis.#24-Jeff Gordon: Crew chief Steve Letarte has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 24-616 for Sunday's race at New Hampshire. This is a new chassis that has not been raced, but the #24 team tested it at The Milwaukee Mile earlier this month.#29-Kevin Harvick: Kevin Harvick will pilot Chassis No. 322 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet is a completely brand new car which will see its first laps on the track during Friday's practice session.#31-Jeff Burton: will race Chassis No. 319 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This is a brand new #31 racer that will be put through its first paces of competition in this weekend's Sylvania 300.#33-Clint Bowyer: will pilot Chassis No. 320 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This is a brand new Chevrolet Impala that will be put through its first paces this weekend.#42-Juan Pablo Montoya: Brian Pattie and the #42 Energizer team are bringing chassis #907 to New Hampshire this weekend. The team last used this chassis at the first 2010 New Hampshire event in June where Montoya captured the pole position and ran in the top-10 for most of the afternoon before an on-track incident forced a 34th-place finish. This chassis was also used twice during the 2009 season at New Hampshire in September and Martinsville in October where Montoya finished third in both events.#43-A.J. Allmendinger: The #43 RPM team led by crew chief Mike Shiplett has prepared chassis No. 267 for this weekend's event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. #48-Jimmie Johnson: Chassis No. 540 will be the primary for Sunday's event. Johnson last piloted chassis No. 540 to a win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in June. Back up chassis No. 520 has collected four wins in five starts – the most recent coming at Martinsville Speedway in March 2009.#88-Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Crew chief Lance McGrew and the #88 engineers will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-589. Earnhardt last raced this chassis to an eighth-place finish at New Hampshire in June.#98-Paul Menard: Crew chief Slugger Labbe and the #98 RPM crew have prepared chassis No. 573 for this weekend's event. This is the same car the team ran at the season's first event at Richmond. Sylvania will make its second appearance on the hood of the #98 Richard Petty Motorsports car this weekend.#99-Carl Edwards: The #99 Aflac team will be bringing RK-647 this weekend to New Hampshire. Edwards raced this Ford Fusion at Loudon in June where he finished 25th and Phoenix in April where he finished seventh.(from team PR's/sites if reported)(9-16-2010)

Latest on Hornish-Penske: As president of Penske Racing, Tim Cindric presides over an empire that operates out of a complex that is over 400,000 square feet in Mooresville, N.C., and requires an annual influx of roughly $100 million to remain competitive in a total of four racing series. This season, they've done so to a high level across the board. Cindric talked about that and a variety of topics with NASCAR.COM. A couple Q & A's about #77-Sam Hornish Jr.
Q: What do you foresee happening with the 77?
Cindric: Right now we're still in search of a primary sponsor for that car. That search will continue for the rest of the year. The good news is that it's September and not December.
Q: What does that mean for Hornish? Will he be back for sure?
Cindric: I wouldn't say anything is for sure. You can't race without the funding. So as we sit right now, we're collectively trying to do that -- but we also understand that if there are opportunities for him, it's an open book as far as communication. We're certainly not going to stand in his way as far as furthering his career, but we'd certainly like for him to be able to continue with us.(NASCAR.com)(9-15-2010)

National Guard Facebook back on the #24: The National Guard will feature its Facebook page -- -- on the hood of Jeff Gordon's #24 Chevy this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Support your country and the #24 team by liking the National Guard on Facebook (HMS), see images of the National Guard scheme on my #24 Team Schemes page(9-15-2010)

Drivers in New York City: The 12 drivers in the Chase are in New York City for a series of media interviews and TV apperances. Here's a list of what shows drivers are scheduled to appear on. Just understand that the schedule can change. Unlike past years, the drivers will not be on "The Late Show with David Lettermen,'' which is not taping new episodes this week. Also, no appearance on "LIve with Regis and Kelly'' this year. Here's where you can see and hear some of your favorite drivers in the next couple of days. (also no known driver appearances in New York during this 'tour')Wednesday, Sept. 15
Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart are scheduled to be on "Tradin Paint'' on Sirius Satellite Radio from 1:00-2:00 pm/et
Kurt Busch and Greg Biffle are scheduled to be on FOX Business Channel at 7:00pm/et
Kevin Harvick at ESPN and scheduled to be on "Mike and Mike'' in the morning, "SportsCenter,'' "First Take,'' ESPN.com and "NASCAR Now'' throughout the day.
Jeff Burton and Greg Biffle are scheduled to be on Versus' "The Daily Line" at 11:00pm/et.Thursday, Sept. 16
Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Jeff Burton, Denny Hamlin, Kurt Busch, Clint Bowyer and Greg Biffle are scheduled to be on "The Morning Drive'' on Sirius Satellite Radio from 7-10 am/et.
Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle and Clint Bowyer are scheduled to be on "FOX and Friends'' at 7:30 am/et
Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer are scheduled to be on Fox Business Channel at 7:00pm /et.
Jeff Gordon is scheduled to be at ESPN and on "Sports Center,'' "NASCAR Now,'' "Sports Nation,'' "The Beat (ESPNews)'' & ESPN.com throughout the day.
Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch are scheduled to be on ESPN on "First Take'', "Scott Van Pelt radio show,'' "Sports Center,'' ESPN.com, "NASCAR Now'', "The Beat (ESPNews)'' and "Sports Nation'' throughout the day.
Kevin Harvick is scheduled to be on "Wake Up with Al'' on The Weather Channel between 6:00-7:00 am/et
Denny Hamlin is scheduled to be on the CW Morning Show at 8:50 aam/et.
(Virginian Pilot)(9-15-2010)

Front Row sues Conway and Extenze: Front Row Motorsports is suing its former driver Kevin Conway and his sponsor Biotab Nutraceuticals, which sells Extenze, over alleged non-payment of part of a $5.4 million sponsorship deal for Conway to drive a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car in 2010. The lawsuit was filed Monday [Sept 13] in North Carolina Superior Court in Charlotte. A Front Row Motorsports spokesman declined to comment on the lawsuit, which asks for damages to cover the $2.754 million that will eventually be due under the terms of the contract, payment of $734,201 in sponsorship fees, hard card fees, race licenses and other expenses for services rendered and $135,000 advanced to Conway as part of his base compensation. "It's really unfortunate that they've made some pretty outrageous allegations against us and the good thing is we'll have our day in court, and the truth will all come to light in the months ahead," Conway said in a phone interview Tuesday. "Unfortunately, I can't really comment on the specifics."
According to the complaint and contracts attached as exhibits, Extenze was to pay Conway's marketing company Exclaim $5.4 million in 50 weekly installments of $108,000, and that money was then to be sent to the race team. The $5.4 million was designed to cover the first 15 races, and then Extenze would have the option of funding the remaining 21 events through revenues generated by a product placement contract. The team would get 15% for product placement at dollar stores, retail stores or wholesale auto parts stores.
Conway's base compensation, according to a contract that is an exhibit in the lawsuit, was $540,000 plus 10% of any other sponsorships brought in for the car. He also would get paid 15% of all purse money and season point fund money, with the percentage increasing to 30% for any top-20, 35% for a top-10 and 45% for a top-five. Front Row was obligated to put Conway in a car that was in the top 35 in owner points, and if he failed to make the field in two consecutive races or any three during the season, the contract could be terminated.
The deal between Conway and Front Row went sour during the summer, according to the complaint, when Exclaim allegedly began paying only half of its $108,000 payments beginning June 21. Exclaim is also listed as a defendant in the lawsuit. Front Row notified Conway on Aug. 8 that he would not be back in the car beginning with the Aug. 15 race at Michigan if his sponsor could not pay its $108,000 weekly fee. Conway did not compete at Michigan but then ran the next three events for Robby Gordon Motorsports. He is scheduled to run seven of the final 10 events for RGM but will not be in the car this weekend because team owner Robby Gordon has sponsorship for the New Hampshire race. The lawsuit was filed by Charlotte attorney Ron Skufca, who represents the North Carolina-based Front Row Motorsports. Biotab is based in California.(SceneDaily)(9-15-2010)

Kenseth's Crew Wins Tissot Pit Road Award at Richmond: Matt Kenseth's pit crew claimed the Tissot Pit Road Precision Award in Saturday night's Air Guard 400 Sprint Cup race at Richmond International Raceway. It was the third Tissot win of the season for the #17 over-the-wall crew out of the Roush Fenway Racing stable. The win moved Kenseth's crew into a second-place tie with Jamie McMurray's crew in the Tissot standings. Jeff Gordon's #24 crew continues to lead the pit road competition with four wins.
The weekly-winning crew receives $5,000 from Tissot plus a Tissot V8 Quartz Chronograph watch. The team with the most Tissot Pit Road Precision Award wins at the completion of the 36-race schedule will receive a $105,000 bonus plus Tissot watches for the over-the-wall crew members and driver. Kenseth's Crown Royal Ford spent the least amount of time on Richmond's pit road – 157.637 seconds – during the 400-lap, 300-mile race. Coming in second was Jimmie Johnson's #48 Lowe's Chevy (158.848) and third was Carl Edwards' No. 99 Kellogg's/Cheez-It Ford (159.202).
The #17 over-the-wall crew consists of: Justin Nottestad (front-tire changer), Joe Crossen (front-tire carrier), Dave Smith (rear-tire changer), Garrett Reding (rear-tire carrier), Cameron Cobb (jackman), Brad Robison (gasman) and Dave McDonald (catch can). The crew chief is Jimmy Fennig and the pit crew coach is Andy Ward.(Tissot), see past winners and standings on my 2010 Pit Crew News page.(9-15-2010)

Safety Training Class Prepares Track Services Personnel For Charlotte: On Sept. 11-12, more than 80 students gathered at Charlotte Motor Speedway for a two-day track services personnel training session in preparation for the Bank of America 500 Weekend. Twenty instructors led the sessions, which included classroom training and hands-on experiences for fire, rescue and EMS personnel. Topics covered included extrication, fire suppression and on-track EMS. The teaching staff consisted of instructors from nine race tracks: Charlotte, Texas, Kentucky, Darlington, Martinsville, Atlanta, Phoenix,
Homestead and Memphis Motorsports Park. Also, on the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States, the instructors were joined by two FDNY firefighters who assisted with the training sessions: Mark Stone, Assistant Chief, FDNY Incident Management Team and Pater Cachia, Bureau of Operations.
Charlotte Motor Speedway has been a pioneer in safety training for NASCAR events and was the first NASCAR-sanctioned race track to offer such a class, starting in 1991. Personnel from other tracks including Indianapolis and Talladega came to the classes as students
and began implementing similar programs at their respective tracks a few years later. Charlotte Motor Speedway was the first track to have its own rescue truck and the first to put paramedics on the track fire trucks.
Tickets for all October races at Charlotte Motor Speedway can be purchased online at www.charlottemotorspeedway.com or by calling the speedway ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS (3267).(CMS)(9-15-2010)

News from September 14, 2010

Richmond TV Ratings lower: ABC's telecast of the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Richmond International Raceway on Saturday night, Sept. 11, won the night among broadcast networks, leading the way in viewers and in the Adult 18-49 demographic. The telecast averaged 5,288,372 viewers with a 3.1 rating and averaged 3,610,119 households, according to the Nielsen Company. Last year's race earned a 3.5 rating. The overnight ratings were 2.8 with a 5 share, down from last years 3.1/6.
ESPN2's telecast of Friday night's NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Richmond earned a final national household coverage rating of 1.2, averaging 1,655,0023 viewers. The rating was slightly down from the 1.3 rating earned for last year's race that also aired on ESPN2 (ESPN), see comparison chart, race-by-race chart and more on my 2010 TV Ratings page.(9-14-2010)

Allgaier out at Penske? Looking for ride?: Sources tell Sirius NASCAR Radio's Sirius Speedway with Dave Moody that Verizon will not return to Penske Racing as sponsors of Justin Allgaier's NASCAR Nationwide Series Dodges in 2011 and that Allgaier has been told he is free to seek employment with other teams next season. Verizon will reportedly remain with Penske Racing next season, increasing its level of involvement with the team's IndyCar program. "It's true that they're evaluating their NASCAR investment right now," said Penske Racing Vice President of Marketing and Communications Jonathan Gibson, "and it's true that they may increase their involvement with our IndyCar program." Gibson said the team is talking with other companies about potentially replacing Verizon next season, adding, "Our intent to continue with two Nationwide Series entries next season." He declined to comment on reports that Algaier has been given permission to look elsewhere, but called him, "A great young driver who we would like to keep in our organization."
Gibson said Verizon has had "issues surrounding their ability to activate the sponsorship in light of Sprint's involvement in the sport. Verizon has been hindered in what they can do," he said. "They can't do much (at the tracks) and they can't do anything with Sprint Cup Series drivers, which is difficult. They've been very creative in what they have done, and they would like to do more. It's not the perfect world they'd like to play in, but Sprint obviously does a lot for the sport, so it is what it is."(Sirius Speedway) supposedly Verizon also sponsored the #12 Dodge of Brad Keselowski in the Sprint Cup Series, but only in color and design, no Verizon decals were allowed to be displayed, with the decals saying Penske instead. AAA, Dodge and other sponsors have also sponsored the car.(9-14-2010)

JTG & Sponsors to present donation, special scheme: Bush's Baked Beans, Clorox, Kingsford Charcoal, Lance, Little Debbie, TUMS with the assistance of JTG Daugherty Racing will be presenting a $20,000 check to Hannaford Helps Schools on Sunday. The Hannaford Helps Schools Program has raised over $6.2 million dollars for over 2,700 New England schools over the past decade from customers buying great participating brands (JTG Daugherty Racing), and driver Marcos Ambrose will run a special scheme at New Hampshire, see an image of the scheme on my #47 Team Schemes page.(9-14-2010)

Tums returns to sponsor Reutimann: Tums returns as the primary paint scheme on the #00 Tums Toyota of David Reutimann for the Sylvania 300. Following this event at New Hampshire, Tums has one remaining paint scheme slated for Phoenix. Tums, Levy and New Hampshire Motor Speedway have partnered on the ultimate New England cooking competition…the TUMS "Chowdah" Cook-Off. After submitting entries online, five contestants have been selected to compete in the at-track cooking competition. Cooking will begin Sunday, Sept. 19 at 8:00 am/et at the Tums Fast Relief Zone located in the fan midway at New Hampshire. NASCAR personalities Jimmy Spencer and Michael Waltrip will join the judging panel which takes place at 10:00 at/et.(Tums PR), see images of the scheme on my #00 Team Schemes page.(9-14-2010)

ISC still hoping for Staten Island property sale: Daytona Beach-based International Speedway Corp. and KB Marine Holdings have extended their negotiations on the sale of ISC's Staten Island property. This is the second time the closing date for the deal has been extended, this time to Nov. 30, according to a news release from the companies on Sept. 7th. "Negotiations were still continuing," said Dan Houser, ISC chief financial officer. "We remain cautiously optimistic about this closing. The other party involved remains extremely interested in it. It's a great project, creating a deep-water harbor." KB is offering $88 million with $32.6 million payable in cash at closing and a $54.4 million promissory note payable by Aug. 31, 2011. The note will have a market-based interest rate. If the note isn't paid, the property could go back to ISC and the $32.6 million wouldn't be refunded. ISC doesn't expect the sale proceeds to result in a material gain or loss. The racetrack operator bought the Staten Island property in 2004 with hopes of building a track there, but it was opposed by community groups and government officials, and the company gave up on the plan.(Daytona Beach News Journal)(9-14-2010)

News from September 13, 2010

Busch's ESPN2 Show delayed: Due to US Open men's tennis final being rain-delayed, it was moved from CBS to ESPN2. Because of that, the debut episode of "Riding Shotgun: Kyle Busch" has been moved to 1:00 am/et. To give fans a chance to see the debut episode, it will be repeated Tuesday, September 14th at 5:30 pm/et following NASCAR Now on ESPN2. Episode 2 of the five-part series will air immediately afterward at 6:00 pm/et.(ESPN)(9-13/14-2010)

Gamestop scheme for Logano? UPDATE2 Image: hearing that #20-Joe Logano could run a Game Stop scheme in a future Sprint Cup Series race, possible Martinsville in October. Game Stop is a sponsor for Logano in the Nationwide Series.(9-7-2010)UPDATE: GameStop announced today it will partner with Joe Gibbs Racing to sponsor the #20 Toyota Camry for the Oct. 24 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Martinsville Speedway. The Tums Fast Relief 500 will be the first foray into the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for the Grapevine, Texas-based video game retailer. GameStop has sponsored Logano in the NASCAR Nationwide Series since the 20-year-old made his much-anticipated debut in the series in 2008 and has been Logano's primary sponsor for each of his seven-career Nationwide Series victories, including the most recent at Kentucky Speedway in June. "It's awesome to see GameStop make their Sprint Cup sponsorship debut riding along with me at a track like Martinsville," said Logano, who finished a season-best second-place in the Sprint Cup Series event at Martinsville earlier this year. "GameStop has been a great company to work with, and they've been with me since I came into the big leagues of NASCAR in 2008. I'm excited to have the chance to improve on our finish from earlier this year and get GameStop into Victory Lane in the Cup Series."
GameStop has taken a unique approach to their Nationwide Series sponsorship with Joe Gibbs Racing, Since 2008, the #20 GameStop Toyota has featured more than 35 different paint schemes promoting a number of popular video games, gaming systems and gaming accessories. The paint scheme for the Martinsville Speedway car will be unveiled at the track on race weekend. "Our GameStop car always turns heads when it gets unloaded at the track. Whatever paint scheme they come up with for Martinsville will be really cool looking," added Logano. "One of the best things about having GameStop as a sponsor is the uniqueness they bring to the sport. Their stuff draws fans into the sport. I mean, who doesn't like video games and race cars? So this will be a special weekend for all of the GameStop employees and fans out there. I'm looking forward to it." The GameStop sponsorship is a one-race deal for Martinsville only. Home Depot, Logano's primary sponsor in the Sprint Cup Series, will return to sponsor the car for the remainder of the 2010 season.(GameStop Racing)(9-12-2010)IMAGE: see an image of the scheme on my #20 Team Schemes Page.(9-13-2010)

Jarrett, Petree, Evernham on NASCAR Now Roundtable: NASCAR on ESPN analysts Dale Jarrett, Andy Petree and Ray Evernham will be panelists on NASCAR Now's weekly roundtable discussion program airing Monday, Sept. 13, at the special time of 7:00 pm/et on ESPN2. Allen Bestwick will host the edition of ESPN2's daily NASCAR news and information program.

Richmond Notes and Facts:
• Denny Hamlin won the Air Guard 400 at Richmond International Raceway. It was his 14th Cup series victory in his 177th start and was his sixth win in 2010. His last previous win came at Michigan on June 10, 10 races earlier.
• Hamlin will start the 2010 Chase in first position, based on his series-high six victories. (5,060 points). It's the first time in his career that he has led the points standings.
• Hamlin scored his second win at Richmond in his 10th start there. He has won four of the past seven short-track races, all in the state of Virginia.
• Hamlin led six times for 251 laps, including the final 69. He led the most laps for the fourth time at Richmond. He has 1,150 laps led at Richmond in 10 starts.
• Joe Gibbs Racing posted its 86th Cup series win and ninth victory in 2010, a series high. JGR scored its seventh win at Richmond and fourth in a row at the Virginia track. JGR finished 1-2 for the ninth time overall and third time in 2010.
• Toyota posted its 10th win in 2010. Chevrolet has 13 victories; Dodge has two; and Ford has one.
• Kyle Busch (second) scored his fifth top-2 finish in 2010.
• Jimmie Johnson (third) had his 10th top-5 finish this season. He will start the Chase in second place, 10 points behind Hamlin.
• Joey Logano (fourth) posted his third top-5 this season.
• Marcos Ambrose (fifth) had his seventh career top-5 finish.
• Clint Bowyer (sixth) scored his 14th top-10 in 2010, and his third straight. He was the last driver to clinch a spot in the Chase.
• Ryan Newman (11th) finished the regular season 13th in points, missing the Chase by 98 points.
• Points leader Kevin Harvick finished ninth. He will start the Chase in the third spot. He had a 228-point lead before the reset.
• Greg Biffle (32nd) clinched the 11th Chase spot on Lap 47 when Jason Leffler dropped out of the race.
• The race had only three cautions, tying the record for the fewest. The last 159 laps were run under green.(ESPN)(9-13-2010)

Top 10 'Most Popular Driver' Finalists Revealed: Just like drivers trying to get into the chase for the championship, racing fans took it down to the wire to get their favorites in as finalists for the NASCAR National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) Hamburger Helper Most Popular Driver Award. Voting for the full field of drivers is now over and the top 10 vote-getters move on to the "playoff" round of voting. The 10 finalists are, in alphabetical order: Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Bobby Labonte and Tony Stewart (Breaking Limits/General Mills). For more info, to vote and trhe info on the contest, see mmy Most Popular Driver News & History page.(9-13-2010)

What Dale Jr. had to say about Richmond: from a Team Chevy Transcript, #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. comments on his and his team's performace at Richmond, after finishing 34th: “That was one of my worst performances, I believe. We were trying something new and it just didn't work out. We'll keep working at it. I don't think it's something we're going to give up on. We ran a rear spring package we've never run before, front spindles we've never run before; just trying to find something to help us get better. Running like we've been running all year long ain't good enough, so we figured we'd try to go in a different direction, and it was a bad choice tonight. We're going testing on Monday, and we'll do as much testing as we can do the rest of the year to figure out what's wrong and to get a package that will work.”(Team Chevy PR)(9-13-2010)

Mayfield recounts Chase miracle, talks about future MORE: Jeremy Mayfield's mind was on making a delivery, far away from what's happening in the Sprint Cup Series, as he maneuvered his big truck through the back roads of Georgia. It's part of what Mayfield does these days between planning a comeback in racing and battling NASCAR in court. But Mayfield understands the desperation felt by Ryan Newman, who is 117 points out of the final Chase spot heading into Saturday night's regular-season finale at Richmond International Raceway. He gets it when Jamie McMurray, the next driver back at 128 out, says he can't do anything more than he's done all season.
Before Mayfield became NASCAR's poster boy for drug suspensions last season, he was the poster boy for Chase miracles. "The whole week going into it we could have very easily have just said it was over," Mayfield recalled as his cell phone phased in and out. "We knew it was a long shot to make it. But it was just so cool, because we all remained calm and were willing to do what we had to do, and everything fell together. It's what everybody dreams about, where your car is awesome, the calls are good and everything goes your way. It was almost like a miracle happened for you."
Mayfield hasn't kept up much with what has happened this season. Other than knowing there's not much drama heading into this weekend barring a miracle twice the one he had, his focus has been on getting his life back in order. He has a few racing deals in the works, one that could put him in a dirt-track car for some late-season, big-money events and another that could put him in an open-wheel car next season. Mayfield's battle with NASCAR is about to heat up again, too, as he plans an appeal if he loses the lawsuit the governing body has against him. See full story and many quotes by Mayfield at ESPN.com.(9-10-2010)MORE: NASCAR and Jeremy Mayfield met Wednesday [Sept 8th] in court-ordered mediation and were unable to come to a settlement over their issues surrounding a May 1, 2009, drug test that NASCAR says was positive for methamphetamines, according to a court filing Friday by NASCAR. A U.S. District Court judge in Charlotte ruled in May that Mayfield, who has said he did not use methamphetamines, did not have a case against NASCAR and ruled in favor of NASCAR without the case going to trial. NASCAR’s countersuit against Mayfield for fraud and breach of contract is still pending with a trial scheduled for July 2011, and the two sides met in mediation Wednesday. With no settlement, NASCAR has now asked that the court allow Mayfield to file an appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals and have that appeal decided before NASCAR’s counterclaim proceeds.(in part from SceneDaily)(9-13-2010)

The Campers Have Arrived at NHMS: "The Magic Mile" welcomed the first of many campers on Saturday as race fans gear up for the SYLVANIA 300 and the first race in the "Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup." New Hampshire Motor Speedway was up bright and early to welcome the fans in at 5:00am/et this morning with donuts and coffee. Grills are sure to be fired up and televisions tuned into the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond tonight which will determine the rest of the Chase Contenders. Next week the "Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup" begins at "The Magic Mile." Purchase your tickets now for the SYLVANIA 300 weekend by visiting us online at www.nhms.com or by calling our ticket hotline at (603) 783-4931.(NHMS)(9-13-2010)

NH Governor John Lynch declares "Race Week": It was the fastest commute in New Hampshire last week as Governor John Lynch raced to work in New Hampshire Motor Speedway's official Toyota Hybrid Pace Car this afternoon with Jerry Gappens, executive vice president and general manager of the speedway. Governor John Lynch declared the week of September 13-19 "Race Week" for the Granite State. The week kicks off the SYLVANIA 300 festivities and the biggest sporting event in New England.The Governor's Proclamation: "We are delighted to be here today, and I wanted to thank Jerry Gappens and Bruton Smith for their ongoing commitment to New Hampshire. The speedway is such an important factor in our economy. Each year the races bring in hundreds and thousands of visitors and hundreds of millions of dollars to New Hampshire and we again thank you for stating your commitment to the state," said Governor John Lynch at the press conference.
Executive vice president and general manager of the speedway Jerry Gappens was on hand to present Governor Lynch with a green flag signifying the start of race week and a personalized racing helmet with his name. "We would like to hand you this green flag not only to start race but to signify money and how much tourism NASCAR brings into New Hampshire. The speedway has fans from 38 states and five countries to spend money and visit our great state," said Jerry Gappens, executive vice president and general manager of New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Come on over and enjoy all of the motorsports entertainment. Joining the cars and stars of NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series is NASCAR's Camping World Truck Series TheRaceDayRaffleSeries.com 175, NASCAR's K&N Pro Series East New Hampshire 125, the mighty Whelen Modified Tour F.W. Webb 100 and the American-Canadian Tour Invitational. Purchase your tickets now for the SYLVANIA 300 weekend by visiting online at www.nhms.com or by calling our ticket hotline at (603) 783-4931.(NHMS)(9-13-2010)

Talladega Superspeedway Fan Appreciation Day Is Sept. 26th: Talladega Superspeedway will welcome race fans to the track on Sept. 26 for the second annual Fan Appreciation Day. This event is open to the public and free of charge. Best of all, ticket buyers to either of the two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events at Talladega, the Aaron's 499 in the spring or upcoming AMP Energy 500, will be given the opportunity to drive their cars around the track on paced laps. In addition to thrilling laps around Talladega's historic high banks, there will also be a Kids Zone in the infield for children to share in the excitement of the day. Snacks will be provided by Talladega Superspeedway sponsors and there will also be photo opportunities in Gatorade Victory Lane. Laps around the track begin at 9 am, with the infield opening to the general public from 10am – 2 pm. Additional activities are planned, so race fans should follow www.talladegasuperspeedway.com for the latest details.(TSS)(9-13-2010)

News from September 12, 2010

Gamestop scheme for Logano? UPDATE: hearing that #20-Joe Logano could run a Game Stop scheme in a future Sprint Cup Series race, possible Martinsville in October. Game Stop is a sponsor for Logano in the Nationwide Series.(9-7-2010)UPDATE: GameStop announced today it will partner with Joe Gibbs Racing to sponsor the #20 Toyota Camry for the Oct. 24 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Martinsville Speedway. The Tums Fast Relief 500 will be the first foray into the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for the Grapevine, Texas-based video game retailer. GameStop has sponsored Logano in the NASCAR Nationwide Series since the 20-year-old made his much-anticipated debut in the series in 2008 and has been Logano's primary sponsor for each of his seven-career Nationwide Series victories, including the most recent at Kentucky Speedway in June. "It's awesome to see GameStop make their Sprint Cup sponsorship debut riding along with me at a track like Martinsville," said Logano, who finished a season-best second-place in the Sprint Cup Series event at Martinsville earlier this year. "GameStop has been a great company to work with, and they've been with me since I came into the big leagues of NASCAR in 2008. I'm excited to have the chance to improve on our finish from earlier this year and get GameStop into Victory Lane in the Cup Series."
GameStop has taken a unique approach to their Nationwide Series sponsorship with Joe Gibbs Racing, Since 2008, the #20 GameStop Toyota has featured more than 35 different paint schemes promoting a number of popular video games, gaming systems and gaming accessories. The paint scheme for the Martinsville Speedway car will be unveiled at the track on race weekend. "Our GameStop car always turns heads when it gets unloaded at the track. Whatever paint scheme they come up with for Martinsville will be really cool looking," added Logano. "One of the best things about having GameStop as a sponsor is the uniqueness they bring to the sport. Their stuff draws fans into the sport. I mean, who doesn't like video games and race cars? So this will be a special weekend for all of the GameStop employees and fans out there. I'm looking forward to it." The GameStop sponsorship is a one-race deal for Martinsville only. Home Depot, Logano's primary sponsor in the Sprint Cup Series, will return to sponsor the car for the remainder of the 2010 season.(GameStop Racing)(9-12-2010)

Fans Vote Kahne & Paschal To Talladega-Texaco Walk of Fame: The fans have spoken... and Kasey Kahne and Jim Paschal will be the next drivers enshrined to the Talladega-Texaco Walk of Fame on Saturday, Oct. 30. The Talladega-Texaco Walk of Fame in downtown Talladega is both a focal point saluting NASCAR's greatest names and a tribute to one of racing's brightest stars – the late Davey Allison. Developed in 1994, the Talladega-Texaco Walk of Fame has inducted one active driver and up to two inactive drivers since 1995 based on the fans' vote chosen from a ballot of nominees selected by strict guidelines (TSS). See more on my Awards page.(9-12-2010)

Sad News - Gaylord Marshall: Chase driver #14-Tony Stewart raced with a heavy heart Saturday night at Richmond after his grandfather Gaylord Marshall, died at age 95 earlier in the day.(USA Today)(9-12-2010)

Crown Royal to honor military at Richmond again: Crown Royal takes pride in showcasing our country's finest heroes, and once again, the tradition will live on. The makers of Crown Royal Canadian whisky, a subsidiary of Diageo plc, announced it will award naming rights to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway on April 30, 2011 to a serviceman or servicewoman. This marks the second time throughout the five-year history of the Crown Royal "Your Name Here" 400 contest that only individuals serving our country can be nominated. Nominations will be accepted from now until Nov. 30th and can be submitted to www.nascar.com/crownroyal. Once nominations are received, Crown Royal will provide fans the opportunity to cast their votes for whose name they think should be incorporated into the annual spring NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Richmond International Raceway. The grand prize winner will then be announced from Daytona in a patriotic ceremony among all the finalists, NASCAR's Roush Fenway Racing driver Matt Kenseth and representatives from Crown Royal and Richmond International Raceway. This past May the race was titled "Crown Royal Presents the Heath Calhoun 400" in honor of retired serviceman Heath Calhoun. Calhoun was awarded the honor for his determination and ability to inspire others to live their lives to the fullest despite their injuries. Prior to his race in Richmond, Calhoun also competed on the US Paralympics Team at the 2010 Paralympics Winter Games, where he scored an 8th-place finish in the Super-G and a 10th-place finish in the Men's Super Combined alpine skiing events. Those wishing to nominate one of their fellow soldiers (21 or older) to be the next Heath Calhoun, must write a brief essay, 50 words or less, on how that individual demonstrated the core values of the military in performing a selfless act that made them a hero.(Crown Royal PR)(9-12-2010)

Fort Erie race car track pacing along: The Ontario Municipal Board, early next month, will hold a series of hearings connected to plans that will see the $400 million Canadian Motor Speedway constructed in Fort Erie. The hearings are set to commence on Sept. 7. The municipal board approval is one of the final steps developers of the proposed track need before construction can begin. Pending the outcome of hearings, construction could start by early next year. The track is being designed and sanctioned by driver Jeff Gordon. It will be only the second track in North America designed with specific input from a current NASCAR Sprint Series driver. NASCAR has not sanctioned or committed to bringing any races to the track. The complex is slated for an 821-acre parcel of vacant land just west of the Queen Elizabeth Way between Bowen and Gilmore roads. The project is the largest private sector-driven development in Fort Erie's history. The track development is being funded by a Kuwaiti-based investment group. Anchored by race track flanked by a 100,000-seat grandstand, the facility would have a one-mile oval track and a 2.5-mile road course — both designed and sanctioned by Gordon. McMaster University has agreed to use the complex as the base for its automotive design, research and development campus. Officials said the track could employ 100 people on a full-time basis and more than 2,500 people during peak racing season.(Business First of Buffalo)(9-12-2010)

Burton Checks In On The Daytona Repave Project: Jeff Burton is accustomed to driving down pit road at Daytona International Speedway in his #31 Caterpillar Chevy looking for his Richard Childress Racing pit crew for four tires and Sunoco fuel. On Wednesday, he got a different perspective of pit road from a Caterpillar grader. Burton visited the "World Center of Racing" and graded a portion of pit road, which along with the entire 2.5-mile tri-oval, apron and skid pad, is being repaved for only the second time in track history. "It's not hard to just move dirt, but it's hard to put it where it's supposed to be," Burton said of his grading experience. Burton, along with President Joie Chitwood III, also buried a time capsule and delivered a progress report to the local media on the Daytona Repave project, which began immediately after the Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola on Monday, July 5.
Among the items placed in the time capsule were:
· Tickets from 2010 Daytona International Speedway events including the 52nd annual Daytona 500 and the Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola, the final race on the old asphalt
· Die-cast cars including Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s #3 Wrangler Chevy that won the Subway Jalapeno 250 Powered By Coca-Cola NASCAR Nationwide Series race and Burton's #31 Caterpillar Chevy
· Newspapers from the Daytona Beach News-Journal including their special Daytona Repave section
· Business card of Lane Construction's John Rauer, the project manager on the Daytona Repave
· Sprint Blackberry phone
· Press releases, brochures and photos
Burton, whose lone Daytona NASCAR Sprint Cup win came in July 2000, took a tour of the facility before burying the time capsule and grading pit road. "It's really cool to be here," said Burton, who added he would like to come back to Daytona someday to dig up the time capsule. "The history of this race track and the France family actually building this track with their own hands and (now) seeing it reconstructed, it's pretty cool. This track is going to make racing incredible. What you're going to see is three wide and two wide all the time. The technology in the asphalt and the technology in the grading makes the track so smooth and makes so much grip that you're not going to be afraid to put it three wide. You're going to be able to put that car where ever you want to put it." Speedweeks 2011 will kick off with the 49th annual Rolex 24 At Daytona GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series race on Jan. 29-30 and conclude with the 53rd annual Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 20, the prestigious season-opening event to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Race fans can view the progression of the historic repaving project from a section of the Oldfield Grandstands, which will open free to the public. Track tours will also be available through attraction admission to Daytona 500 Experience. Daytona International Speedway also is posting updates on the project at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com/repave. For fans interested in purchasing pieces of asphalt, they can visit www.jostens.com/Daytona. For tickets and more information on Daytona International Speedway events, visit www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or call 1-800-PITSHOP.(DIS)(9-12-2010)

News from September 11, 2010

Hamlin wins at Richmond: #11-Denny Hamlin won the Air Guard 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway for his 6th win of 2010 and 14th of his career. #18-Busch finished second followed by #48-Johnson, #20-Logano, #47-Ambrose, #33-Bowyer, #42-Montoya, #43-Allmendinger, #29-Harvick and #99-Edwards [pole sitter]. #16-Biffle finished 32nd, down 5 laps, but clinched a spot in the Chase and with #33-Bowyer's 6th place finish, he is the final driver in the Chase. The 1-2-4 finish by the three Joe Gibbs Racing drivers was the 9th time JGR teammates have finished 1-2 and the first time all three were in the top-5.
There were 14 lead changes among 6 drivers and only 3 cautions for 28 yellow flag laps. The attendance was reported at 95,000, down from last years 109,000 but the track removed around 14,000 seats since last year.Scheduled Race Re-Airs are ESPN2, Sunday, September 12 at 3:30am; and SPEED, Wednesday, September 15 at 12:00pm/et.
See race results, awards, laps led and more on Jayski's Atlanta Race Results/Awards page.(9-11-2010)

Race Fast Facts - Richmond:
#11-Denny Hamlin won the Air Guard 400, his 14th victory in 177 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
This is his sixth victory and 11th top-10 finish in 2010.
This is his second victory and sixth top-10 finish in ten races at Richmond International Raceway.
#18-Kyle Busch (second) posted his 10th top-10 finish in 12 races at Richmond International Raceway. It is his 14th top-10 finish in 2010.
#48-Jimmie Johnson (third) posted his sixth top-10 finish in 18 races at Richmond International Raceway.
#33-Clint Bowyer and #16-Greg Biffle clinched the final two spots in the 2010 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.(NASCAR Statistics)(9-11-2010)

Why did the points change after Richmond?: fro USA today - NASCAR Sprint Cup points standings heading into the 10-race Chase for the championship. Drivers were re-seeded after Saturday night's regular-season finale at Richmond International Raceway, with points reset to 5,000 and 10 bonus points added for each win so far this season.

Top-35 in Owner Points and guaranteed a starting spot at New Hampshire:
No one moved in to or out of the top-35. The #7 team stays in 35th and the #26 team remains 36th with the points spread from 35th to 36th drops to 83 and the #38 is only 87pts out of 35th.
34) #71-Cassill-Labonte/TRG: 1928, +160
35) #7-Conway/RGM, 1851, 83 points ahead of 36ththese teams/ drivers must qualify by speed:
36) #26-Green/Latitude43: 1768, -83 points out of the top 35
37) #38-Kvapil-Blaney/Front Row: 1764, -87
The teams are NOT locked in past the next race as the owners points change after each race.
For the owner points standings, see my Owners Points Standings page.(9-11-2010)

Kyle Busch Featured in New All-Access ESPN2 Series: A new and highly innovative five-part television series featuring #18-Kyle Busch will air on ESPN2 the week of Sept. 13-17 to help kick off ESPN’s live coverage of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship.Riding Shotgun: Kyle Busch, produced for ESPN by the Emmy Award-winning NASCAR Media Group, will take viewers on a week-long, all-access journey into the life of the driver of the Joe Gibbs Racing #18 M&Ms Toyota. Cameras will follow Busch starting with this weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway and will continue throughout the week leading into the start of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sept. 19.
The half-hour program, which will require a less than 24-hour turnaround time for production, will debut in prime time on Monday, Sept. 13, at 8:00pm/et on ESPN2, following the Monday roundtable edition of ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program NASCAR Now. The rest of the week, Riding Shotgun: Kyle Busch will air following NASCAR Now at 5:30pm/et on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, and at 6:00pm/et on Thursday.
In addition to tagging along for meetings at the shop, an open test date, life in the motorhome and preparation for a double duty weekend, viewers also will follow Busch on his trip to ESPN’s campus in Bristol, Ct., on Thursday, Sept. 16, where he will join fellow NASCAR drivers Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart in appearing on multiple ESPN platforms such as SportsCenter, First Take, NASCAR Now, ESPNEWS, ESPN Radio and others. “I’m excited to give the fans a peek into everything that I have going on over the next couple of weeks,” said Busch, one of the drivers who will be competing in the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship. “Everyone knows how much racing I do, but there are a lot of other commitments that go along with it that fans will get to see. It’s busy for sure."(ESPN)(9-11-2010)

Terry Labonte in the #55 at Richmond: Terry Labonte will replace Mike Bliss in the #55 Prism Motorsports Toyota for the Air Guard 400 on Saturday at Richmond International Raceway. Stavola Labonte Racing crewmen, including crew chief Doug Randolph, were working on the car to get it race-ready (it was a start-and-park) and putting the decals of sponsor Gander Mountain on the car. Labonte had failed to make the race in what the team had hoped would be its debut.(SceneDaily), Bliss had qualifed the #55 Toyota 37th. With the driver change, the car and Labonte will fall to the rear of the field before the start of the race.(9-11-2010)

Ekstrom & Sorenson to share #83 ride: Red Bull Racing plans to have Mattias Ekstrom and Reed Sorenson share the #83 Toyota the rest of the year but decisions about 2011 as far as crew chief for Kasey Kahne and what happens with #82-Scott Speed remain looming for the organization. Red Bull Vice President Jay Frye said Friday that there has been no determination on Scott Speed for next season or whether the organization could expand to three teams. Red Bull already has Kahne scheduled to drive one of its cars. Brian Vickers has been sidelined because of blood clots since May He must remain clear of blood clots, which he said the doctors have told him have been eliminated because of the heart surgery, to return. That would seem to leave Speed, who drives the #82 Toyota, out of a ride. He has a contract with the team that currently does not allow him to seek another ride. “[Having three teams] is still possible,” Frye said Friday at Richmond International Raceway. “A lot of this dictates [on] Brian. Right now, everything looks great, which is great, but he is only halfway through the process so we’re keeping our different options open. The doctors have said everything looks good, but we don’t know until the process is done. We’re optimistic about it.” As far as Kahne’s team for next year, Frye said he has not finalized who will crew chief the car for Kahne.
This week, Frye will be looking forward to seeing Ekstrom compete for the first time on an oval after he made his debut at Infineon Raceway in June with a 21st. He could see more races later this year. Reed Sorenson, who has been driving the #83 for most of the summer, will drive the races that Ekstrom does not. “We’re going to see how he does this weekend first,” Frye said. “There is a possibility that some things can happen with him between now and the end of the year to do another race. … Reed has been doing a great job. Mattias, we’ve been working on this before Sonoma [in June].” Ekstrom said he has three more races left this year driving for Audi in the DTM touring series in Germany. The Swede has a contract to drive the Audi again next year.(in part from SceneDaily)(9-11-2010)

Special police scheme for Gordon UPDATE: #24-Jeff Gordon is scheduled to run the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial scheme in the Dover race on September 26, 2010. See an image of the scheme on my #24 Team Schemes page. The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Museum groundbreaking will take place in Washington DC on October 14, 2010, see an image of the scheme on my #24 Team Schemes page.(6-22-2010)UPDATE: For Americans, September 11 will forever be a time of reflection and sadness for those who lost their lives on that day in 2001. Additionally, it is a reminder of the sacrifices that the men and women in uniform make every day to protect, serve and rescue fellow Americans in times of need. And to respect, honor and remember those police officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty, Jeff Gordon and DuPont have teamed up with the National Law Enforcement Museum to run a special www.PoliceMuseum.org paint scheme and graphic design created by Sam Bass on the #24 DuPont Chevrolet at Dover International Speedway on Sept. 26, 2010, to raise awareness and funds for the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) by inspiring public donations and also through the sale of DuPont / Police Museum branded die-cast cars and commemorative T-shirts. The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial is the nation’s monument in Washington, D.C., to law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty. Groundbreaking for the National Law Enforcement Museum will take place on Oct. 14, 2010. In addition to www.policemuseum.org on the quarter panels and TV panel of the mostly black and silver car, the #24 DuPont Chevy deck lid will bear the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund “Rose and Shield” symbol. Gordon will run a DuPont/National Guard paint scheme at Richmond International Raceway on September 11. DuPont’s support for the NLEOMF is provided through a combination of cash, in-kind marketing services and materials toward the construction of the museum in Washington, D.C. The 90,000-square-foot National Law Enforcement Museum will be built under the memorial in Judiciary Square to educate the public on the value of law enforcement in the US and garner greater public support accordingly. It is expected to have 500,000 visitors per year, and will be funded by private donations (PPR Plus), schemes on my #24 Team Schemes page.(9-11-2010)

GoDaddy.com for sale: GoDaddy.com, the closely held website that registers Internet domain names, has put itself up for sale in an auction that could fetch more than $1 billion, people familiar with the matter said. Qatalyst Partners, the boutique firm run by veteran technology banker Frank Quattrone, has been hired to shop the Go Daddy Group Inc., which runs the world's largest domain name registrar, these people said. Private-equity firms are expected to bid for the company, which currently has more than 43 million domains under management. GoDaddy.com and Qatalyst representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.(Wall Street Journal), no word how or if this will affect sponsorship of Hendrick Motorsports #5 Chevy of Mark Martin or Danica Patrick with JR Motorpsorts.(9-11-2010)

News from September 10, 2010

NASCAR Sprint Cup on ABC: With final seedings in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup on the line, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races for 400 laps in prime time under the lights at Richmond International Raceway on Saturday night, Sept. 11, and ABC will have a live telecast. The NASCAR Countdown pre-race show kicks off the evening at 7:00pmn/et with the race telecast at 7:30pm/et. The race’s green flag is at 7:46pm/et. Marty Reid will call the action with analysis by Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree. Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage, while pit reporters will be Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch and Vince Welch. NASCAR Countdown from the ESPN pit studio will be hosted by Allen Bestwick with analysis by Rusty Wallace, Ray Evernham and Brad Daugherty. The studio team will interact with the booth during the telecast of the race.

Race Coverage of the Air Guard 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway is scheduled for Saturday, September 11, 2010.Television (TV): ABC at 7:30 pm/et; pre-race show at 7:00 pm/et; green flag approx 7:46pm/etRadio: Motor Racing Network (MRN) only on NASCAR.com and Sirius XM Satellite NASCAR Radio 128Scheduled Race Re-Airs:
ESPN2, Sunday, September 12 at 3:30am/et
SPEED, Wednesday, September 15 at 12:00pm/et

Pit Stall Selections - Richmond: The selections of pit stalls for the Air Guard 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway have been made. Pole sitter #99-Edwards chose pit stall 1 [as do most pole sitters].
Outside pole sitter #42-Montoya took pit stall 17, the first with an opening in front of it [after the 1st stall of course].
#43-Allmendinger, who starts 3rd took the 30th pit stall, the next stall with an opening in front of it.
The 43rd and final pit stall was taken by #1-McMurray, who starts 34th.
To see where all the drivers/teams pit stall is, see the pit selection chart on the Pit Stall Selection chart.(9-10-2010)

Edwards wins pole at Richmond: #99-Carl Edwards won the Coors Pole for the Air Guard 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway with a speed of 127.762mph for his 2nd pole of 2010 and 6th of his career.
#42-Montoya will start 2nd followed by #43-Allmendinger, #33-Bowyer, #00-Reutimann, #20-Logano, #98-Menard, #12-Keselowski, #88-Earnhardt Jr. and #9-Kahne. Points leader #29-Harvick starts 20th. #83-Mattias Ekstrom makes his oval race debut, start 42nd. #09-Bobby Labonte uses a past champions provisional to make the race and starts 43rd. His brother #10-Terry Labonte was faster, but was 8th fastest and failed to qualify for the race. If Bobby didn't have to use the provisional, Terry could had.
The go-or-go homers who made the race (8): #26-Green [16th], #13-Mears, #36-Blaney, #87-Nemechek, #32-Leffler, #55-Bliss, #38-Kvapil and #09-BLabonte (using a past champions provisional).
The go-or-go homers who failed to qualify for the race (5): #10-TLabonte, #46-McDowell, #64-Bodine, #66-Riggs and #92-Brian Keselowski.
See the starting lineup, qualifying speeds and notes on my Richmond Starting Lineup/Qualifying Results page.(9-10-2010)

Qualifying Fast Facts - Richmond:
#99-Carl Edwards won the Coors Light Pole Award for the Air Guard 400 with a lap of 21.133 seconds, 127.762 mph.
This is his sixth pole in 219 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
This is his second pole and eighth top-10 start in 2010.
This is his first pole in 13 races at Richmond International Raceway. His previous best start at Richmond was second (twice).
#42-Juan Pablo Montoya (second) posted his 17th top-10 start of 2010 and his second in eight races at Richmond International Raceway.
#43-A J Allmendinger (third) posted his first top-10 start at Richmond International Raceway. It is his sixth in 26 races this season.(NASCAR Statistics)(9-10-2010)

Qualifying Order for the Air Guard 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway is posted. 48 cars/drivers are listed. Go-or-go homers will qualify at the end of the session, once the top-35 drivers are done.
The first of the top-35 drivers scheduled to go out is #2-Busch.
The final top-35 driver scheduled to go out is #88-Earnhardt Jr.
The first go-or-go homer scheduled to qualify [36th] is #64-Bodine with the final driver scheduled to qualify being #55-Bliss.
See the full qualifying order on the Richmond Qualifying Page.(9-10-2010)

1st Friday practice for the Air Guard 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway is being over, after 120 scheduled minutes, top five, slowest and notes:
#33-Bowyer 122.688
#39-Newman 122.438
#42-Montoya 122.349
#99-Edwards 122.327
#00-Reutimann 122.255
slowest: #92-Brian Keselowski 115.483 & #83-Ekstrom 118.172
incident: #56-Truex Jr. had a throttle hang and hit the wall hard just a few minutes in to practice, he drove it back to the hauler, the team has brought out the backup car. Midway thru, Truex is back on the track in the backup car.
See fastest speeds, average speeds, laps run on my Richmond Practice Speeds Page.(9-10-2010)

Mayfield recounts Chase miracle, talks about future: Jeremy Mayfield's mind was on making a delivery, far away from what's happening in the Sprint Cup Series, as he maneuvered his big truck through the back roads of Georgia. It's part of what Mayfield does these days between planning a comeback in racing and battling NASCAR in court. But Mayfield understands the desperation felt by Ryan Newman, who is 117 points out of the final Chase spot heading into Saturday night's regular-season finale at Richmond International Raceway. He gets it when Jamie McMurray, the next driver back at 128 out, says he can't do anything more than he's done all season.
Before Mayfield became NASCAR's poster boy for drug suspensions last season, he was the poster boy for Chase miracles. "The whole week going into it we could have very easily have just said it was over," Mayfield recalled as his cell phone phased in and out. "We knew it was a long shot to make it. But it was just so cool, because we all remained calm and were willing to do what we had to do, and everything fell together. It's what everybody dreams about, where your car is awesome, the calls are good and everything goes your way. It was almost like a miracle happened for you."
Mayfield hasn't kept up much with what has happened this season. Other than knowing there's not much drama heading into this weekend barring a miracle twice the one he had, his focus has been on getting his life back in order. He has a few racing deals in the works, one that could put him in a dirt-track car for some late-season, big-money events and another that could put him in an open-wheel car next season. Mayfield's battle with NASCAR is about to heat up again, too, as he plans an appeal if he loses the lawsuit the governing body has against him. See full story and many quotes by Mayfield at ESPN.com.(9-10-2010)

3M Renews Official Sponsorship With NASCAR: 3M, a diversified technology company serving customers with innovative products and services and a long-time partner of NASCAR, have announced the renewal of the company’s official sponsorship with the sport. The agreement extends the relationship an additional five years beginning in 2011 and expands the categories for which 3M holds exclusive NASCAR marketing rights. 3M brands involved include Post-it, Filtrete, Scotch branded products and others. For nearly 10 years, numerous 3M products associated with automotive, industrial, professional and home use applications, have secured exclusive category status with NASCAR taking advantage of NASCAR’s mark and promotional and marketing programs. The 3M products associated with this agreement include automotive refinish supplies, abrasives, tapes, adhesives and sealants, protectants, paint spray products, furnace filters, reflective and graphic films, wire connectors, cable ties, wire markers, hearing products, Post-it products, cloth products, respirators, automotive cleaning products, medical bandages and label products. Numerous 3M products are integrated into today’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car including attachment tapes, Bondo body filler, adhesives and sealants, as well as abrasives and the Accuspray paint systems used in the construction of the car. 3M’s association with motorsports spans decades and has taken many forms over the years. In addition to holding multiple NASCAR officially-licensed product categories, 3M is a long-time sponsor of NASCAR racing as primary sponsor for Roush Fenway Racing’s #16 3M Ford Fusion driven by Greg Biffle in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
3M continues to support NASCAR as a Prize Money & Decal Program (contingency) sponsor in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, and NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, with prize money provided to eligible teams.(NASCAR)(9-10-2010)

Penske Racing hosts employee appreciation activities: Penske Racing took some time on Tuesday to show appreciation for all its employees as the organization’s teams prepare for the stretch run of a remarkable racing season. With the support of its partners, Penske Racing hosted a special lunch for all of its 400-plus employees at Penske Racing headquarters. All of the team’s drivers that compete in the NASCAR Cup Series and Nationwide Series, as well as the IZOD IndyCar Series, were in attendance for the lunch that was held on the main floor of the 425,000 square-foot facility located in Mooresville, NC. Ruby Tuesday provided lunch for all the employees while many of the organization’s partners – including Ruby Tuesday – contributed prizes that were given away to Penske workers. Team sponsors Verizon, MillerCoors, ExxonMobil, Avis, AAA, Lincoln Welders, Discount Tire and others dedicated products and services that were distributed to Penske Racing employees by random draw. Dodge Motorsports even contributed a one-year lease on a 2011 Dodge Challenger to one lucky employee. Penske Racing drivers Kurt Busch, Brad Keselowski, Sam Hornish Jr., Justin Allgaier, Parker Kligerman, Helio Castroneves, Ryan Briscoe and Will Power each addressed the crowd and helped give away the premium prizes.(Penske Racing)(9-10-2010)

Petty Blue to be released: Petty Blue is the story of the Petty family's dramatic rise to the top of a sport, told in their own words. Through vintage film, dynamic race footage, archival photos, and candid conversations, relive Lee becoming the face of NASCAR in its earliest years, his son Richard “The King” winning a staggering 200 races, The movie, which is an engrossing and moving documentary about the life and times of NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty and his extraordinary family, will be released on DVD September 21, 2010 from Paramount Home Entertainment. Petty Blue will make its cable debut on CMT on October 8th. Produced by NASCAR Media Group and CMT Films and narrated by Academy Award winner Kevin Costner, Petty Blue takes fans beyond the track to examine the Pettys' individual accomplishments, their influences on the sport and the personal tragedies that shaped them into the racing icons they are today. Petty Blue, which refers to the famously distinctive color of Richard Petty's #43 racecar, is an inspirational story of dedication, perseverance and family tradition. The Petty Blue DVD is packed full of special features including deleted scenes, bonus interviews with NASCAR notables such as David Pearson, Bobby Allison, Franklin Graham and Robbie Loomis, archival footage and interviews from the 1960s, Kevin Costner's "Backyard" music video and more. A must-own DVD for any sports fan, Petty Blue will be available in stores nationwide for the suggested retail price of $19.99. This is the third project CMT Films and NASCAR Media Group have partnered on, having previously produced the critically-acclaimed and Emmy Award-nominated Dale, which presented an unparalleled examination of the story of Dale Earnhardt, as well as The Ride of Their Lives, the most comprehensive look at the sport since its inception. More info at CMT.(9-10-2010)

Special scheme for Kahne at RIR: Kasey Kahne's #9 Budweiser Ford paint scheme will have a special addition at Richmond - the 2011 World Police & Fire Games (WPFG) will adorn the hood, both quarter panels and the television panel. The World Police & Fire Games will take place in New York City Aug. 26 - Sept. 5, 2011. Spread throughout the five boroughs, the city that never sleeps will be the setting for the multi-sport, Olympic-style event. As many as 20,000 full time firefighters and law enforcement personnel from 70 different countries are expected to compete in 65 sports. The event will respectfully coincide with the 10 year remembrance of Sept. 11, 2001. Kahne and the #9 team will be joined by a group of first responders from New York. While at the track they will partici-pate in a number of activities, including media interviews, the driver/crew chief meeting and pre-race ceremonies (RPM).(9-10-2010)

Front Row could drop down to 2 teams in 2011: When asked about the future of the team's third car, the #38 squad that currently sits outside the top 35 in owner points, Front Row Motorsports Jerry Freeze didn't mince words. "It's a big question mark right now. Unless we have some phenomenal success in finding sponsorship, I don't see any way we can carry three cars next year. I think the likely scenario is that FRM will run two cars next year. We really like David [Gilliland] and Travis [Kvapil], we're planning on those guys coming back and we're talking with them about it, so that's the direction I think we'll be going in. Then again, maybe we start next year running that third car if it's in the top 35. If it's not, it may just go away." That said, the team is also very much aware of just how valuable team number three is. They know just how close they are to locking a third entry into the Sprint Cup field, and what that means from both a competitive and fiscal standpoint. "Now we get that car back in the top 35, we have a lot of options for next year," Freeze explains. "That's why we're working so hard ... I would bet the house that if we had a third car in the top 35 at the end of this year that we could find a driver with a sponsor to run the Daytona 500. That's a great-paying race, and could be a great value to FRM."(Frontstretch)(9-10-2010)

Four drivers raced into the Chase with one race to go: Four drivers have raced their way into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup with their performance in the final race of the regular season. One of those four is Ryan Newman, who sits 13th going into Saturday night's regular-season finale at Richmond. But unlike in 2005 when he was one point back going into Richmond, he finds himself 117 points behind 12th-place Clint Bowyer. And as the chart shows, the record for biggest rally is 55 points.Year......In................Points back..............Richmond finish.....Out...............Richmond finish
2004 Jeremy Mayfield...55..............................1st...............Kasey Kahne ...... 24th
2005 Ryan Newman......1...............................12th..............Jamie McMurray.....40th
2006 Kasey Kahne........30..............................3rd...............Tony Stewart......18th
2009 Brian Vickers........20............................7th.................. Matt Kenseth.....25th
(Sporting News)(9-10-2010)

News from September 9, 2010

Chase Notes and Stats going into Richmond: #39-Ryan Newman (-117), #1-Jamie McMurray (-128) and #5-Mark Martin (-147) are all looking to make Chase history at Richmond Saturday night, one becoming the driver to make up the biggest deficit in the last race before the Chase. Jeremy Mayfield's dramatic win in 2004 overcame a 55 point deficit and landed him in Chase I.
#99-Carl Edwards' strong second at Atlanta was another in a very good string of late for the #99. He's scored the most points over the last five races (792) and went from being a Chase bubble driver to clinching a race early.
The "Smoke" is rising. Sunday night's win makes a statement that the winner of Chase II in 2005 might be ready for a repeat. #14-Stewart's typical summer charge has transformed him from sweating the Chase two months ago, to making it easily.
CLINCH SCENARIOS - 1-Kevin Harvick clinched at Michigan. 2-Jeff Gordon clinched at Bristol. 3-Kyle Busch, 4-Tony Stewart, 5-Carl Edwards, 6-Jeff Burton, 7-Jimmie Johnson, 8-Kurt Busch, 9-Matt Kenseth, 10-Denny Hamlin clinched at Atlanta.
For season-to-season comparison after 25 races, current standings and more, see my Chase Stats after Atlanta page. And for Chase history, how the 'old system' would had played out and more, see my 2010 Chase Rules and News page.(9-9-2010)

Kroger back on the #47 at RIR: For Marco Ambrose's fourth NSCS race at Richmond, Kroger will cover the hood of his #47 Toyota Camry carrying a message on the quarter panels that 'TONIGHT'S GRILL NIGHT!' Kroger is one of the nation's largest grocery retailers with store formats that include grocery and multi-department stores, convenience stores and mall jewelry stores operating under nearly two dozen banners. "We had a lot of fun in February with Kroger handing out roses for Valentine's Day and this time they are reminding fans that night time is also a good time to fire up the grill whether you are tailgating at a football game, a NASCAR race or cooking at home," said Ambrose, who has finished 11th, 22nd and ninth respectively at RIR. "It's a really a nice scheme and our car will look sharp under the Richmond lights. This particular car, we have raced twice and we feel good about it."(JTG Daugherty Racing)(9-9-2010)

Richmond Goodyear Tire Notes: Teams in both NASCAR series in action at Richmond this weekend will run the same Goodyear tire codes . . . this is the same combination of left- and right-side tires that teams in these two series ran at Richmond earlier this season and at both races last season . . . other tracks at which teams run this same combination of tires are Phoenix (both series) and Gateway (Nationwide only) . . . teams also run this left-side tire code (D-4238) with a slightly different right-side code at New Hampshire (both series) and O'Reilly Racewy Park (Nationwide only) . . . as on most NASCAR ovals one mile or less in length, teams will not run inner liners in their tires at Richmond. The estimated pit window for Sprint Cup cars is every 90-100 laps, based on fuel mileage. See full notes, tire codes, pressures and more on my Richmond Race Info page - Goodyear section.(9-9-2010)

Air-traffic controllers not to blame for crash of Hendrick plane: A U.S. District Court judge ruled Wednesday [Sept 8th] that air-traffic controllers were not responsible for the Hendrick Motorsports plane crash that killed 10 people, including four members of team owner Rick Hendrick's family, on the way to a Sprint Cup race at Martinsville in October 2004. The judge's ruling came about 14 months after the conclusion of a non-jury trial in Winston Salem, N.C., that covered five lawsuits. Linda Turner (widow of HMS general manager Jeff Turner) and Dianne Dorton (widow of HMS engine builder Randy Dorton) had sought money from the government, as did Hendrick Motorsports for the destruction of its plane and for the government to contribute to the settlements with the families of victims Scott Lathram (a pilot for Cup driver Tony Stewart who was a passenger on the plane) and DuPont executive Joe Jackson. The crash resulted when the Hendrick pilots, who had delayed the flight by 86 minutes because of the weather, became disoriented and began their landing five miles past where they should have at Martinsville/Blue Ridge Airport. A witness said he saw the plane about 1,500 feet in the air two miles past the airport and about three miles from the start of the runway approach. The pilots, who never lowered the plane's landing gear, continued to fly for at least another minute before executing the mandated missed approach procedure, which they conducted for two miles without making the mandatory right-hand turn, and slammed into Bull Mountain about 27 minutes before the start of the race. Blaming pilots Richard Tracy and Elizabeth Morrison, Judge Thomas Schroeder awarded nothing to the widows or Hendrick. The 98-page ruling, issued Wednesday, can be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals. While the judge was critical of the pilots, he said his decision did not contradict a jury, which in an earlier trial had determined that the pilots were not willfully and recklessly negligent in the crash and therefore their estates did not owe any of the victims money. In addition to the pilots, Dorton, Turner, Jackson and Lathram, killed in the crash were Rick Hendrick's son, Ricky, Hendrick's brother, John, and John's daughters Kimberly and Jennifer. There was no immediate comment on the ruling from Dorton's attorney. When contacted, a Hendrick Motorsports spokesperson declined comment.(see full story at the SceneDaily)(9-9-2010)

Smith Looking to Capitalize on Milwaukee Test: In preparation for Saturday night's short track race at Richmond International Raceway, Regan Smith and the #78 Furniture Row Racing team spent part of last week testing at the Milwaukee Mile in West Allis, Wis. "We've been showing improvement in many areas this season," said Smith, driver of the #78 Furniture Row Chevy. "But if there's one area that we feel needs extra attention it is our short track performances. As a driver I am happy that we had the opportunity to test at the Milwaukee Mile and it's one more indication of the commitment to the future that our Furniture Row Racing team is making."
Smith added, "We came away from the Milwaukee test feeling that what we learned will have a positive impact, especially at the next two races in Richmond and New Hampshire."(FRR)(9-9-2010)

Special colors for Truex at Richmond: Martin Truex's #56 Toyota will have a silver look for Saturday's race at Richmond. The NAPA Brakes paint scheme adorns Truex's ride to help kick off NAPA's Great Breaks on Great Brakes promotion. Customers can receive up to a $50 mail-in rebate with purchase of qualifying NAPA Brakes products at any participating NAPA AUTO PARTS store or AutoCare Center through Sept. 30. The #56 team tested at Gresham Motorsports Park in Georgia on Tuesday in preparation for Saturday's race. The Martin Truex Jr. Foundation will host its third annual MTJF Golf Tournament more info on my Racing Charities page (MWR), see images of the scheme on my #56 Team Schemes page.(9-9-2010)

National Guard colors for Gordon at Richmond: Jeff Gordon will drive a specially painted #24 DuPont/National Guard Military Intelligence Chevy this weekend at Richmond. Today's Military Intelligence professionals are highly trained Soldiers who provide their commanders with relevant intelligence and electronic warfare support. Visit NationalGuard.com and search "Military Intelligence" to learn more (HMS), see images of the scheme on my #24 Team Schemes page.(9-9-2010)

Mohawk Northeast to sponsor #36 car at RIR: The #36 Chevy of Tommy Baldwin Racing (TBR) will feature Mohawk Northeast, Inc. for the September 11th Air Guard 400 at Richmond International Raceway. Mohawk Northeast, Inc., one of the region's largest heavy civil contractors based in Connecticut, will be prominently displayed on the Chevrolet driven by Dave Blaney this weekend.
"We are looking forward to partnering up with Tommy and the race team again at Richmond," Al Heinke, President of Mohawk Northeast said. "NASCAR has been a great way to increase brand recognition for us and the partnership with TBR has allowed us to reach a group of customers outside our current base in New England." Blaney will drive the #36 Chevy for TBR and will look to build on his previous success next weekend at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway. "I'm excited Mohawk Northeast Inc. is on board with us again and we are confident we can help them extend their reach in this market," said owner Tommy Baldwin. "Dave has had success everywhere he has raced and we look forward to having him behind the wheel for TBR and Mohawk."(TBR)(9-9-2010)

Richmond Pays Homage To 9/11 This Weekend: Richmond's NASCAR race weekend will have an Armed Services theme, in recognition of 9/11. The Post-9/11 GI Bill has partnered with RIR as presenting sponsor, including the Air Guard 400 on Saturday night and Friday's NASCAR Nationwide Series. The Post-9/11 GI Bill, passed by Congress in 2008, provides financial
support for education and housing to veteran service men and women and allows every eligible veteran, service member, reservist and National Guard member an opportunity to receive undergraduate and graduate degrees. As part of a host of pre-race activities to commemorate Sept. 11, RIR is providing all fans who enter the grandstand gates with an American flag to wave during the National Anthem. Boy Scouts, celebrating their organization's 100th anniversary, will distribute the flags, which are provided courtesy
of Virginia 529 College Savings Plan.(RIR)(9-9-2010)

News from September 8, 2010

Atlanta TV Ratings down a tad: ESPN's live telecast of the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday night, Sept. 5, earned a final national household coverage rating of 3.9, averaging 5,516,601 viewers, according to the Nielsen Company. Last year's race, the first Labor Day weekend event at Atlanta, earned a 4.1 rating [5.9 million].
The NASCAR Nationwide Series continued its run of ratings success this season with Saturday night's Atlanta race earning a final national household coverage rating of 1.4 on ESPN2, averaging 1,893,361 viewers. Last year's race also earned a 1.4 rating. Six of the last 10 Nationwide Series races have seen ratings growth over the corresponding event last year, while the other four were even.(9-8-2010) see comparison chart, race-by-race chart and mnore on my 2010 TV Ratings page.(9-8-2010)

Washington Music Center to Sponsor Nemechek: For the 2nd Year in a Row, Wheaton, MD based Chuck Levin's Washington Music Center is proud to be the Qualifying Sponsor for Nemco Racing's #87 NASCAR Sprint Cup entry in the Air Guard 400 Race to be held on Saturday September 11th at Richmond International Raceway. The #87 is driven by veteran owner/driver Joe Nemechek. "We're fortunate to have members of several NASCAR teams as customers of the store, and several members of our staff are avid Nascar fans, so sponsorship of a car seemed like a natural idea for us" said Brian Meader, Guitar Salesman and Director of Internet Marketing for Washington Music Center. "The Nascar fanbase reflects a very diverse group of people, and the opportunity to put the Chuck Levin's brand in front of such a wide audience really appeals to us". Chuck Levin's Washington Music Center has been serving musicians since 1958 and is the largest single independent retail music storefront in the United States.(Chuck Levin's Washington Music Center PR), see an image of the scheme on my #87 Team Schemes page.(9-8-2010)

Ekstrom back in the #83 car at Richmond? UPDATE 2: There is a possibility that Mattias Ekstrom will return to drive the #83 Red Bull Racing Toyota at Richmond International Raceway on Sept 11th. Ekstrom, a Red Bull Racing driver, made his Sprint Cup debut at Infineon Raceway in June, starting 38th and finishing 21st. Due to a DTM race on Nürburgring, Ekstrom was unable to run the car at Watkins Glen, Boris Said drove the car there.(Motorsport Total - translated in part)(8-18-2010)UPDATE: Mattias Ekstrom, a two-time champion in the German Touring Car Series, will make his second Cup start for #83 Red Bull Racing on Sept. 11 at Richmond, pending a successful test Tuesday at North Wilkesboro Speedway. As a fill-in for Brian Vickers, who is undergoing treatment for blood clots, Ekstrom qualified 38th and finished 21st after leading seven laps in his Cup debut at the road course at Infineon Raceway in June.(Sporting News)(9-6-2010)UPDATE 2: Red Bull driver Mattias Ekström will race the #83 Red Bull Toyota in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway on September 11. In June, Ekström gave an impressive performance at Infineon Raceway in his first NASCAR race, leading seven laps and finishing 21st. Since then, Ekström has tested with Red Bull Racing Team at Gresham Motorsports Park, GA and North Wilkesboro Speedway, NC. "Mattias did a great job in Sonoma, and continues to impress at the oval track testing sessions," said Jay Frye, Red Bull Racing Team Vice President and General Manager. "He has earned this opportunity, showing continued improvement every time he is behind the wheel." Ekström. a Red Bull-supported athlete for the past nine years, claimed his first victory of 2010 in the second round of the DTM Championship on May 23 in Valencia, Spain. He currently sits fifth in the DTM standings and has 14 career victories. "To do a race on an oval is something different – it's a lot of laps and a lot of cars," said Ekström. "Racing in Richmond will be one of the biggest tasks of my life so far, but I feel I am ready for the challenge."(Red Bull Racing)(9-8-2010)

Charter Air to sponsor Gilliland at RIR: A Front Row Motorsports partner will join the team for the Air Guard 400, with the colors of Charter Air Transport adorning the #37 Ford of David Gilliland for Saturday night's race at Richmond. This will be Charter Air's second time as a sponsor on Gilliland's car this season. The company is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, specializing in 30-passenger turbo prop planes. It has been a carrier of teams in NASCAR for the past five years. It also services collegiate athletic teams and business professionals. The company takes pride in being environmentally friendly, with its fleet of EMB-120 aircraft burning only 150 gallons of fuel an hour.(Breaking Limits)(9-8-2010)

Stewart's Crew Claims Tissot Pit Road Award at Atlanta: Tony Stewart's pit crew won the Tissot Pit Road Precision Award in Sunday night's Emory Healthcare 500 Sprint Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. It was the second Tissot win in the past three races for the #14 crew members, whose quick pit stop late in the race helped Stewart capture his first victory of the season.
Stewart's #14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet spent the least amount of time on pit road – 310.802 seconds – during the 325-lap, 500-mile race. Coming in a close second was Martin Truex's #56 NAPA Toyota with a time of 310.939. Jimmie Johnson's #48 Lowe's Chevy was third at 314.168.
The #14 over-the-wall crew consists of: Kelly Kellis (front-tire changer), Todd Drakulich (front-tire carrier), Daniel Smith (rear-tire changer), Mike "Shrek" Morneau (rear-tire carrier), Mike Casto (jackman), Jeff "Gooch" Patterson (gasman), Rick Pigeon (catch can). The team's pit crew coach is Joe Piette and the crew chief is Darian Grubb.
The weekly-winning crew receives $5,000 from Tissot plus a Tissot V8 Quartz Chronograph watch. The team with the most Tissot Pit Road Precision Award wins at the completion of the 36-race schedule will receive a $105,000 bonus plus Tissot watches for the over-the-wall crew members and driver. After 25 races Jeff Gordon's #24 crew continues to lead the Tissot competition with four wins while Jamie McMurray's #1 crew is second at three wins. Stewart's crew is in a five-way tie for third with two wins.(Tissot), see past winners and standings on my 2010 Pit Crew News page.(9-8-2010)

Night Ranger to rock RIR in pre-race concert: Night racing "under the lights" meets Night Ranger on Saturday, September 11, when rock icons - Night Ranger - perform a pre-race concert before the Air Guard 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway. The pre-race concert, presented by Coca-Cola, will take place at 5:45 pm/et at the start/finish line.
Fans with tickets to the Air Guard 400 race can watch the Night Ranger concert from their seats and see the performance on Richmond International Raceway's state-of-the-art video scoring tower. The video scoring tower is the tallest in all of motorsports, featuring four giant LED screens visible to all grandstand seats. But, to "open happiness" with access to the concert area, fans must stop by the Coca-Cola display in The Midway to pick up a credential for the concert. Night Ranger has been rocking for nearly three decades, selling more than 17 million albums worldwide, performing more than 2,500 live shows and captivating an audience of more than 1 billion in radio airplay.
Tickets, starting at $40, include the Coca-Cola Pre-Race Concert and are on-sale and available now by calling 866-455-RACE (7223) or logging on to www.rir.com. A limited number of $40 seats remain.(RIR)(9-8-2010)

Chase Scenarios for Richmond: Ten drivers have clinched a spot in the 2010 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Two more spots remain in the 12-driver field, and below are the clinch scenarios for Richmond International Raceway, the cut-off race for the Chase:
#16-Greg Biffle, 11th place
Biffle currently is 161 points ahead of 13th place. Regardless of any other driver's finish, Biffle will clinch if he finishes:
· 42nd or better
· If Biffle leads at least one lap, he will clinch no matter where he finishes.
#33-Clint Bowyer, 12th place
Bowyer is currently 117 points ahead of 13th place. Regardless of any other driver's finish, Bowyer will clinch if he finishes:
· 28th or better
· 29th and leads at least one lap
· 31st and leads the most laps.(NASCAR)(9-7-2010)

Truck Series driver suspended: Jack Smith, driver of the #63 truck in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, has been suspended indefinitely from NASCAR for violating Section 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing) of the 2010 NASCAR rule book. The violation occurred July 23.(NASCAR PR)(9-7-2010)UPDATE: Sirius NASCAR Radio's Sirius Speedway is reporting that NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Jack Smith has been suspended indefinitely from NASCAR after being arrested and charged with three felony counts of fraudulently attempting to obtain a controlled substance in Wentzville, Missouri last month. NASCAR was reportedly informed by Wentzville Police on July 23 that Smith had been arrested the previous day after allegedly attempting to obtain a controlled substance by fraudulent means on July 11, July 14 and July 22, 2010. He was suspended for violating Section 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing) of the 2010 NASCAR rule book, and is scheduled to appear at a Bond Appearance Hearing on Tuesday, October 12, 2010 before Judge William T. Lohmar in St. Charles (WI) Circuit Court.(Sirius-Speedway PR)(9-7-2010)

Hamlin 36th pole winner to finish last: According to Lastcar statistics, #11-Denny Hamlin, the pole sitter for the Atlanta race this past weekend, is the 36th driver to finish last in the race after starting 1st / on the pole. Hamlin's 74 laps led are also the second-most led by any Cup last-place finisher, behind only Greg Biffle's 95 laps led at Darlington in 2008, the polesitter of that race.(Lastcar)(9-7-2010)

Gamestop scheme for Logano? hearing that #20-Joe Logano could run a Game Stop scheme in a future Sprint Cup Series race, possible Martinsville in October. Game Stop is a sponsor for Logano in the Nationwide Series.(9-7-2010)

Stavola Returns to Cup Racing with Terry Labonte and Gander Mountain: The last time Bill Stavola entered a car in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series was in 1998 with driver Hut Stricklen. Today, a dozen years later, he is back. This time Stavola is loaded with a two-time Sprint Cup champion in Terry Labonte, who serves as co-owner/driver, and with primary sponsorship support from outdoor specialty retailer giant Gander Mountain and associate support from American Cement. Together the team will compete in three events before the end of the 2010 season as they prepare for 2011. This weekend, Stavola Labonte Racing will begin the first of three races as they debut the #10 Gander Mountain Chevy at Richmond. The car is powered by Earnhardt-Childress Racing Engines.
Comments from Terry Labonte on the Team's Debut this Weekend: "Yeah, this seems like it's been a long time coming for everyone, but probably more for Bill. He has been around the sport for a while, and we talked about doing something. He has such a passion for the sport and for doing things the right way. That's why it was easy to partner with him. He's put together some good people, and I think he's gone about this in a way that gives us the best chance to succeed. I'm happy to be with him this weekend. "I think we're all anxious to get out there and see how it goes. We got some help from Richard Childress Racing and their group. Everyone knows that they have been extremely competitive this season. That gives us confidence that we have a good car to go to the track with. It's great to see a company like Gander Mountain come on and join us. Being a native of Texas, and having a hunting ranch there, I'm pretty used to going to their stores in Texas. I think they have about 11 stores in Texas alone, so it's a great fit. Right now, through the end of September, they are collecting used footwear for Soles4Souls. Hopefully fans can check that out and help donate some used shoes or boots for a good cause."(Stavola Labonte Racing/Breaking Limits)(9-7-2010)

NASCAR HoF to start repaying loans: The NASCAR Hall of Fame has added three corporate sponsors since its May opening and now has enough money to begin repaying the $5 million it owes the city of Charlotte. How long those payments last is another matter. The hall now has $5.15 million pledged from sponsors over the next five years. It must pay the city $1 million annually from that total over the same period. In addition, sponsorship dollars are to repay a $21.5 million loan from Bank of America and Wells Fargo/Wachovia that helped pay for construction. The Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority, which manages the hall, said it will be able to make its city payments for the next two years. But after fiscal year 2012 (which ends June 30, 2012) it doesn't yet have enough sponsor money lined up to pay the $3 million the city is owed from 2013 to 2015. Nor is there money budgeted after this year for the larger bank loan. Visitors Authority officials have struggled to line up corporate support for the $200 million hall, and they blame the economy. Kimberly Meesters, a hall spokeswoman, said the facility could add to its sponsorship money by finding new sponsors or signing extensions with existing sponsors. Most of the hall's current deals are between three and five years, she said. The hall has 10 corporate sponsors: NASCAR Performance Group, Lowe's, Mars, Belk, Food Lion, Sunoco, Bank of America, Wells Fargo/Wachovia, Coke and Panasonic. Meesters said the hall expected to pay off the loans in 10 to 12 years. Ron Kimble, a Charlotte assistant city manager, told the Observer the hall must pay all $5 million no matter how long it takes.(see full story at Charlotte Observer)(9-7-2010)

Race and Commercial Breakdown of the 2010 Emory Healthcare 500: For those of you NASCAR fans that like stats and love to hate commercials, or wonder how often your driver was focused on, here is the breakdown for Sunday's race. ESPN was the broadcast team for this event:
Total number of commercials: 139
Total number of companies or entities advertised: 76
Total number of brief promos of products/services during the race broadcast: 43
Start time to record race/commercial periods: 7:30 PM
End time to record race/commercial periods: 11:42 PM
Total minutes: 252
Minutes of race broadcast: 191
Minutes of commercials: 61
Number of 'mystery cautions' (debris not shown): 1
Number of awesome renditions of the National Anthem: 1 Ernie Haase and Signature Sound
Number of helpful fathers with a flashlight: 1 Nelson Stewart
Number of commercial-free minutes at the end of the race: 46
Total race brdcst time 191 Total comm. brdcst time 61
See full rundown and other races on my 2010 TV Commercials page.(9-7-2010)

Home Depot & NMPA team up again: The Home Depot and the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) will once again team up in 2010 to present the Home Depot NMPA Humanitarian Award. This is the fourth year the award is being presented and the winner of the award will be announced during the NASCAR NMPA Myers Brother Awards luncheon in Las Vegas. The award recognizes an individual in the NASCAR community that has displayed a dedication to helping others and improving communities through their service and giving. The winner will receive a $100,000 cash donation made by The Home Depot to the recipient's charity of choice and a specially-designed crystal award. Two finalists will each receive $25,000 cash donations to their designated non-profit organizations.(JGR)(9-7-2010)

Off-Site Parking & Shuttle offered at Richmond: Fans attending the Air Guard 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway on Saturday, September 11 will once again be able to take advantage of the “Park and Ride” shuttle program from downtown Richmond at the Richmond Coliseum parking lot and The Showplace parking lot on Mechanicsville Turnpike. The shuttle service, which is only available on Saturday, September 11, allows fans to park their vehicles at either location and use the free shuttle service to the main gate of America’s Premier Short Track.
The Richmond Coliseum parking area at North 7th Street in downtown Richmond opens and begins offering free shuttle rides to fans at 1:00 pm/et on Saturday, September 11. The shuttle service back to the Coliseum parking area resumes immediately after the conclusion of the Air Guard 400 race from the track’s main entrance. The shuttle is free, but a $6 parking fee applies at the Coliseum lot. The Richmond Coliseum parking area is conveniently located less than five minutes from the intersections of I-95 and I-64. To see a detailed map of the Richmond Coliseum area visit: www.rir.com.
Fans can also park their cars and RVs at The Showplace and take a free shuttle ride to Richmond International Raceway. The Showplace is conveniently located less than three miles from Richmond International Raceway at 3000 Mechanicsville Turnpike and is just ¼-mile off of I-64 at exit 192.
The cost for parking at The Showplace on Saturday, September 11 is $5 per car and $25 per RV. The complimentary shuttle to and from the track begins at Noon and operates continuously with pick-up and drop-off points at The Showplace and the main entrance to Richmond International Raceway at Richmond-Henrico Turnpike.
The Saturday, September 11, Air Guard 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race headlines the Post-9/11 GI Bill NASCAR Weekend at Richmond. Tickets are on sale now, with a limited number of $40 tickets available, and can be purchased by calling 866-455-RACE (7223) or visiting www.rir.com.(RIR)(9-7-2010)

Smith’s Food & Drug Stores to sponsor LVMS Truck race: Las Vegas Motor Speedway is welcoming back an old friend as sponsor of the Sept. 25 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event. Smith’s Food & Drug Stores, which cosponsored the event in 2006 and 2007, has returned as title sponsor for this year’s event. The event will be called the Smith’s 350. Tickets for the Smith’s 350 are on sale by calling 1-800-644-4444 or by logging on to www.lvms.com. Race fans also can purchases passes to the fan-interactive Neon Garage for just $10.(LVMS)(9-7-2010)

News from September 6, 2010

Atlanta Notes and Facts:
• Tony Stewart won the Emory Healthcare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
• 38th series victory in 417th start
• Last win came at Kansas in October, 2009, 31 races ago
• Won in all 12 seasons he has competed in the Cup series
• 38 wins ranks 18th all-time
• Third win at Atlanta in his 24th start
• 11th different driver to win in 2010
• The last owner/driver to win at Atlanta was Richard Petty in 1977
• Led eight times for 176 laps including the final 25
• Led the most laps for 52nd time in his career, winning 26 of them
• Climbed from sixth to fourth in points
• He clinched a spot in the Chase
• 14th top-10 finish at Atlanta
• 14th top-10 finish in 25 races in 2010
• Stewart Haas Racing Sixth series win
• Second win in 2010 (Ryan Newman at Phoenix)
• First win at Atlanta
• 13th win in 2010 for Chevrolet
• 36th win at Atlanta for Chevrolet
• Carl Edwards (finished second) second second-place finish of 2010, 61 races since his last win.
• Jimmie Johnson (third) first top-5 finish since his win at New Hampshire eight races ago, only second top 10 in that span
• Jeff Burton (fourth) fifth top-5 this season but first since Daytona in July
• Kyle Busch (fifth) only his second top-5 finish in the last 11 races (win at Bristol). Recovered from speeding penalty on Lap 49.
• Kurt Busch (sixth) used pit strategy to score a top-10 finish, was running 18th with 100 laps to go
• Clint Bowyer (seventh) 13th top-10 this season
• Ryan Newman (eighth) jumped two spots to 13th in points but 117 behind 12th-place Bowyer
• Marcos Ambrose (10th) scored his fourth top-10 finish this season, second on an oval
• Jamie McMurray (15th) lost 28 points to 12th, now 128 behind
• Mark Martin (21st) lost 46 points to 12th, now 147 behind
• Points leader Kevin Harvick finished 33rd after having tire problems Denny Hamlin led 74 laps before losing an engine and finished 43rd, he lost 5 points positions but still clinched a spot in the Chase.(ESPN)(9-6-2010)

Wal-Mart deal with Gordon breaks down: Negotiations have broken down between Wal-Mart and Hendrick Motorsports over sponsorship of the #24 Chevy driven by Jeff Gordon. However, NASCAR's new licensing body, the NASCAR Teams Licensing Trust, remains confident a deal will be struck to make Wal-Mart the exclusive mass retailer for the sport's apparel. Those talks between the trust and Wal-Mart are ongoing, according to industry sources, and a deal is expected to be in place in time for the 2011 season. Wal-Mart had been deep into discussions with Hendrick Motorsports to sponsor Gordon's car, but Wal-Mart's interest in a primary sponsorship on a single car has waned. One source said Wal-Mart is in a re-evaluation process to determine the right place for its sponsorship spending and that it could still develop personal-services deals with an array of drivers, instead of going with a primary sponsorship of a single driver. Industry sources added that word of a potential deal between Wal-Mart and Hendrick had created a significant level of angst among the other Sprint Cup teams. They had expressed concern over how Wal-Mart, as the licensed mass retailer for the trust, would manage its relationship with all of the teams when it was a primary sponsor for Gordon, and whether Gordon's merchandise would receive favorable display in the stores.
Without Wal-Mart, Hendrick continues its search for a primary sponsor on the #24. DuPont has been the only primary sponsor Gordon has known since he came into the sport in 1992. The trio of DuPont, Gordon and Hendrick is the longest-running sponsor-driver-owner relationship in the Sprint Cup Series. But DuPont's current deal runs out at the end of this season, and Hendrick has been on the hunt for a replacement. DuPont could remain with the team as an associate sponsor, and Hendrick might even revisit DuPont about the primary sponsorship.(SportsBusiness Journal / Sporting News)(9-6-2010)

Brian Keselowski to attempt Richmond: Despite failing to qualify at Bristol a few weeks back, #92-Brian Keselowski will return to the Sprint Cup Series to attempt the Air Guard 400 at Richmond this coming Saturday. Keselowski, whose Nationwide Series team does not have a Nationwide Series COT car, says that he is interested in doing some more Sprint Cup races towards the end of the 2010 season, owing in part to the larger purses offered at the Sprint Cup level.(Frontstretch)(9-6-2010)

Ekstrom back in the #83 car at Richmond? UPDATE: There is a possibility that Mattias Ekstrom will return to drive the #83 Red Bull Racing Toyota at Richmond International Raceway on Sept 11th. Ekstrom, a Red Bull Racing driver, made his Sprint Cup debut at Infineon Raceway in June, starting 38th and finishing 21st. Due to a DTM race on Nürburgring, Ekstrom was unable to run the car at Watkins Glen, Boris Said drove the car there.(Motorsport Total - translated in part)(8-18-2010)UPDATE: Mattias Ekstrom, a two-time champion in the German Touring Car Series, will make his second Cup start for #83 Red Bull Racing on Sept. 11 at Richmond, pending a successful test Tuesday at North Wilkesboro Speedway. As a fill-in for Brian Vickers, who is undergoing treatment for blood clots, Ekstrom qualified 38th and finished 21st after leading seven laps in his Cup debut at the road course at Infineon Raceway in June.(Sporting News)(9-6-2010)

News from September 5, 2010

Stewart wins at Atlanta: #14-Tony Stewart won the Emory Healthcare 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway for his 1st win of 2010, 3rd at Atlanta and 38th of his career. Stewart has one at least one race in every year of his Sprint Cup career, now 12 straight years with at least a win every season. Stewart is the 11th winner of 2010. #99-Edwards finished second followed by #48-Johnson, #31-Burton, #18-Busch, #2-Busch, #33-Bowyer, #39-Newman, #42-Montoya and #47-Ambrose. Pole sitter, #11-Hamlin dominated the first part of the race, leading 74 laps before imploding an engine and finishing 43rd. Bowyer's 7th place finish and #1-McMurray finishing 15th and dropped to 14th. #39-Newman moved to 13th in drivers points, but is 117 points out of 12th with one race to go. Bowyer needs to finish 28th or better at Richmond to clinch a spot in the chase. The top-10 in drivers points have clinched a spot in the Chase.
There were 22 lead changes among 7 drivers and 8 cautions for 53 yellow flag laps. The attendance was reported at 93,200, down from last years 111,300.Scheduled Race Re-Airs are ESPN2, Monday, September 6 at 3:30am; and SPEED, Wednesday, September 8 at 12:00pm/et.
See race results, awards, laps led and more on Jayski's Atlanta Race Results/Awards page.(9-5-2010)

Top-35 in Owner Points and guaranteed a starting spot at Richmond:
No one moved in to or out of the top-35. The #7 team stays in 35th and the #26 team remains 36th with the points spread from 35th to 36th drops to 98.
34) #71-Cassill/TRG: 1864, +151
35) #7-Conway/RGM, 1811, 98 points ahead of 36ththese teams/ drivers must qualify by speed:
36) #26-Green/Latitude43: 1713, -98 points out of the top 35
37) #38-Blaney/Front Row: 1706, -105
The teams are NOT locked in past the next race as the owners points change after each race.
For the owner points standings, see my Owners Points Standings page.(9-5-2010)

12th place & the Chase: what happens if #33-Clint Bowyer finishes 43rd/last and only getting 34 points?
#1-McMurray, 13th in drivers points, could take over 12th if he finishes 10th or better
#5-Martin, 14th, would need to finish 9th or better
#39-Newman, 15th, would need to finish 5th or better
#9-Kahne, 16th, would need to finish 2nd or better
(not taking into account, leading laps or the most laps)(9-5-2010)

Elliott's son wins first race at North Wilkesboro since 1996:Chase Elliott was a month shy of his first birthday when Jeff Gordon won the final NASCAR race at North Wilkesboro Speedway (HNWS), but Saturday the second generation driver was the historic track's master as he claimed his first PASS victory this season and the second of his career in the Labor Day Classic 200. "The car was awesome," said the 14-year-old Elliott, who led twice for 69 laps in the 200-lap green flag event. "This is a big win for us. I've always heard about this race track for a long, long time. For them to open it back up and come over here and run, I had a blast today." Elliott's father, Bill, who won three poles at the track but never a race, worked with his son during a test at the speedway about two weeks before the facility's first race weekend since 1996. "To come back and win the first race here after all these years that it's been closed, I thought it was pretty cool," said Elliott, who received the traditional Dawsonville, Ga., victory celebration – the blowing of the siren atop the Dawsonville Pool Room. Elliott plans to compete in the Oct. 3 USAR Pro Cup Series event at HNWS. In the track's other races Saturday, Mack Little III won the 50-lap Limited Sportsman race, Michael Tucker took the 25-lap Stadium Stock event, and Gus Dean emerged victorious in the 35-lap Allison Legacy Series feature. For more information on Historic North Wilkesboro Speedway and the schedule for the Oct. 3 USAR Pro Cup Series race weekend, go to www.historicnws.com. (9-5-2010)

Chase Changes still up in the air: NASCAR officials continue to discuss possible changes to the Chase for the Sprint Cup for the 2011 season and beyond. With NASCAR chairman Brian France having promised significant changes, officials are continuing to debate the positives and negatives of switching to a format that would include driver eliminations as the Chase progresses.
The most controversial part of the discussions centers on the concept of a winner take all format in the final race of the season. France wants to add what he has described as "World Series game seven" excitement and tension to the closing weeks of the season, but some drivers have stressed that NASCAR should continue to consider drivers' body of work during the season.(Ford)AND: am hearing that amonmg many scenarios that NASCAR is considering are:
1) the top 16 drivers enter the chase and they reset the points. After the 5th race in the chase, the top 8 in those point standings move on and the bottom 8 are eliminated from the chase. The points are then reset for the top 8. After race 9, the top 4 move onto the last race and the bottom 4 are eliminated from the chase. The points are then reset for the top 4.(supposedly this is the one that is least being considered as it is a tad confusing)
2) the top 16 start for the chase. After race 5, the top 8 move on and the bottom 8 are eliminated. The points are then reset for the top 8. After race 7, the top 4 move on and the bottom 4 are eliminated. The points are then reset for the top 4. After race 9, the top 2 move on and the bottom 2 are eliminated. The points are then reset for the top 2.(9-5-2010)

January testing back at Daytona? UPDATE: hearing that the Sprint Cup Series will test the new pavement at Daytona International Speedway in January, likely in mid to late January 2011. Supposedly all Sprint Cup teams will be allowed to test. DIS is currently in week 9 of repaving the 2 1/2 mile track.(9-3-2010)UPDATE: NASCAR Sprint Cup teams have been told that the tentative dates for a test on the new Daytona International Speedway pavement will be Jan. 17-19. NASCAR has not announced when the test would be, but several team officials confirmed the date. Daytona International Speedway is going through its first repaving since prior to the 1979 season and when track officials announced they would repave the track, NASCAR officials said they expected to have a major test. Goodyear officials hope to get a few Cup cars on the track in the weeks prior to the test but have been told not to plan to get on the track before Jan. 1. They have gotten a strip of asphalt from the temporary plant at the Daytona track to examine to determine the traction of the new surface. They hope to have a good idea of what tire will be used in November (SceneDaily)(9-5-2010)

Hendrick Announcement UPDATE2: Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports and Mark Martin driver of HMS' #5 Chevy, are scheduled to make an announcement at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Saturday afternoon, September 4th.(9-3-2010)UPDATE:Quaker State and Hendrick Motorsports announced an expansion of their unparalleled technical relationship, which will increase exposure for the motor oil brand in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Beginning in 2011, the three-year agreement includes primary placement for Quaker State on the #5 Chevy in four Sprint Cup races annually and associate sponsorship of all Hendrick Motorsports cars. Quaker State also will continue to be poured in the more than 80 Hendrick Automotive Group franchises throughout the United States. Quaker State's technical relationship with Hendrick Motorsports began in 1996 and helped produce a Sprint Cup championship that first season with the #5 team and driver Terry Labonte. Mark Martin, winner of 40 Sprint Cup races, will drive the #5 Chevrolet in 2011. Quaker State's four races as primary sponsor of the #5 car will be determined at a later date. "The new Quaker State paint scheme looks awesome," Martin said. "I'm not sure how a paint scheme can look fast, but Quaker State and Hendrick Motorsports did it with this one. I can't wait to race it and hopefully take it to Victory Lane."(HMS), see an image of the scheme on my 2011 Team Schemes page.(9-4-2010)UPDATE 2: from a Team Chevy Press Conference Transcript, Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports:
Q) WHAT'S THE SITUATION ON THE #5 CHEVROLET FOR NEXT YEAR? FOUR RACES FOR QUAKER STATE AND WHAT ELSE?
Hendrick: "GoDaddy.com is coming back so this about fills us up. There is one more sponsor that we haven't announced. But we're pretty much done."
Q) ON UPCOMING SPONSOR ANNOUNCEMENTS
Hendrick: "I don't really want to go into that. We've got a lot of our folks coming back and I'm not really sure how many we've got committed in what area. But we're getting close. We'll be announcing in the next 60 days. In the past we would announce mid-year but companies now waiting later and later to make announcements. We plan to have everything done by the end of November."
Q) WOULD THAT REQUIRE HENDRICKCARS.COM TO BE ON ANY CARS TO FILL THAT?
Hendrick: "Oh, it could be. I enjoy that if I can afford it (laughter). It's worked real good for me in the past. I think that probably if I could win Daytona or run up front with the Hendrick cars logo, it would be something I'd really like to do one day. But we don't know if that'll ever happen."(Team Chevy)(9-5-2010)

Mobil 1 to the #14? UPDATE: Stewart Haas Racing has emerged as the leading candidate to get the Mobil 1 sponsorship that Penske Racing will vacate in 2011, when it switches to Pennzoil as sponsor for Kurt Busch (in the #22 Dodge). If SHR lands Mobil 1, it will replace Old Spice as the co-primary sponsor of Tony Stewart's #14 Chevy. The team's other car, Ryan Newman's #39, will have the U.S. Army and Tornado's back for part-time schedules next year and is trying to woo Wix Filters for a partial schedule as well.(Ford Racing), Wix Filters will be the sponsor for Newman this week at Bristol, see an image of the scheme on my #39 Team Schemes page.(8-17-2010)UPDATE: from a Team Chevy Press Conference Transcript, Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports:

Q) WITH QUAKER STATE ON YOUR CARS NOW, DOES THAT MEAN THAT STEWART-HAAS HAS TO USE QUAKER STATE NOW?
Hendrick: "No. The folks that rent or lease motors for us, do whatever they want to do. That's their call."(Team Chevy)(9-5-2010)

No plans for changing Earnhardt Jr's crew chief: from a Team Chevy Press Conference Transcript, Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports:
Q) A FEW YEARS AGO WHEN JEFF GORDON DIDN'T MAKE THE CHASE, YOU MADE A CREW CHIEF CHANGE AT THE START OF THE CHASE. LOOKS LIKE DALE EARNHARDT JR IS NOT GOING TO MAKE THE CHASE. WHAT OPTION IS THAT FOR A POSSIBLE CREW CHIEF CHANGE THERE?
Hendrick: "Actually, I'm pretty happy with the chemistry there now. Maybe some of you guys don't agree but I'm around them and I'm in the shop during the week and the Tuesday meetings and I talk to Dale and I talk to Lance (McGrew) and I talk to them both after they've been testing. And we had some good momentum going and then we kind of fumbled the ball a little bit here right before the Chace. If you can't pinpoint where your problem is, then the whole organization needs to be better. We're working hard but we're not as sharp as we want to be with all four cars. But the guys are working hard and working together. If you miss the Chase and you just decide that you're going to change something to be changing it, I think that's a mistake. I've never tried to do that. I keep my options open, but at the same time if the driver and the crew chief are getting along and they're working together and they're trying, that's all I can ask for. It's pretty darn competitive here in the garage. Guys get on a streak and then guys fall back a little bit. We're not happy with where we are as an organization, but we're working on it. And nobody is blaming anybody and nobody is giving up. So we're getting ready for the Chase. We're trying a lot of stuff and we're all over the map here this weekend, but we're trying some things. We know we've got to get better. And I'm really happy with my whole group and the way they work together and of course we'd like to win more races and you like to dominate, but it's hard in this sport. You look at the guys up there now and they get a streak and then they cool off. That's probably a 10-minute answer to a short question."
Q) SO IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU PLAN TO KEEP LANCE MCGREW AND DALE EARNHARDT JR. TOGETHER THROUGH THE CHASE AND GOING INTO NEXT YEAR. YOU ARE NOT PLANNING ON A CHANGE AT THIS POINT?
Hendrick: "That's correct. We make decisions as things develop during the season. And right now we've got a game plan and we're sticking to it. Next week and going into the Chase and during the Chase, our plans are for those two guys to be together."(Team Chevy)(9-5-2010)

Jeff Gordon Children's Foundation Recognizes Childhood Cancer Awareness Month: Ella, the three-year old daughter of #24-Jeff Gordon and Ingrid Vandebosch, will be helping her father and the Jeff Gordon Children's Foundation raise awareness during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month which begins September 1. The Jeff Gordon Children's Foundation, which raises money to support pediatric cancer research, will also launch a month-long campaign that encourages race fans to support the fight against childhood cancer. "Every year over 13,500 children are diagnosed with cancer," said Gordon. "Although great strides in treatments have been made, we still have a long way to go and we won't stop until every child diagnosed hopefully has access to a cure. Ella, Ingrid and I are asking fans to get involved and make a difference in the lives of these kids that need our help."
Ella will not only be cheering on her dad, but she will be cheering for her car to be in Victory Lane, as well. "My Papa's Car", the paint scheme for Gordon's #24 DuPont Chevy in Atlanta, was designed by Ella and NASCAR artist Sam Bass. The colorful car features Gordon's daughter's original artwork and handprints, as well as the new logo of the Jeff Gordon Children's Foundation. "I am very proud to run 'My Papa's Car' this weekend, not only because Ella designed it but because it will help to bring awareness and support for children with cancer," said Gordon.(PR)(9-5-2010)

Latest on Wal-Mart & Jeff Gordon: from a Team Chevy Press Conference Transcript, Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports:
Q) THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF SPECULATION WITH JEFF (GORDON) AND WAL-MART AND THEN WAL-MART PUT OUT A STATEMENT SAYING THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BE ON THE CAR. CAN YOU CLARIFY THAT?
Hendrick: "It's like anything else. You talk to people and they were someone we were talking to. We got down the road a bit, but timing is kind of one of those things that I think possibly we'll do something down the road with them but it won't be next year. It's good though, to see companies have interest. And I guess at the end of '08 and '09 it was pretty dismal. You didn't see, if someone wasn't already out here on a car, you didn't talk to anybody. And now there is interest from people that haven't been in the sport. They're kind of doodling around with it. So it's good. It feels better today than it did in the first half of '09. So that's encouraging to see. And it's real encouraging to have people re-up. That's good too."
Q) WERE YOU TALKING ABOUT A LICENSING AGREEMENT WITH WAL-MART TO GET SOME OF YOUR GUYS PRODUCTS IN WAL-MART STORES?
Hendrick: "Yeah, that's still ongoing. We have a good relationship with them. It's a timing issue and we're still working on a lot of stuff."(Team Chevy)(9-5-2010)

17 fans who were at 1st race at AMS attend race: Kenny Meleary of Fayetteville, Ga., was at the first race at Atlanta Motor Speedway 50 years ago, and he’s been to every race since then. He remembers the mud he trudged through that first day to sell tickets for the Dixie 300 – which started at $8.95 – and he remembers fondly the early days of the race track. He watched the track evolve into one of the premier motorsports showplaces in the country, and he’s still enthralled with the speeds and the action. Meleary was among a group of 17 fans who attended a press conference Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway celebrating the track’s 50th anniversary. NASCAR President Mike Helton and Speedway Motorsports Inc. Chairman Bruton Smith also attended the event, along with 1960 NASCAR champion Rex White, a resident of Fayetteville, Ga. “These folks are at the heart and soul of the history and roots of NASCAR,” said Helton, who also served as Atlanta’s track president from 1979-86. “When you come to the speedway and you come to Georgia, there are some pretty good stories from this neck of the woods that would support that this area contributed greatly to the early years of racing.” Michael Greer of Monticello, Ga., was 8 years old when he attended the inaugural Dixie 300 at AMS, and he said what he remembers most is the incredible noise from the race. “We sat in some of the lower rows, and the grit, the grime, the noise is what sticks out most in my mind,” Greer said. “Of course, as an 8-year-old boy, the mud was just an added bonus. And I’ve been an avid NASCAR fan ever since.” For the record, that first race was held on July 31, 1960 and was won by Fireball Roberts, who pocketed $10,130 for the victory.(AMS)(9-5-2010)

Smith blasts NASCAR for ending season at Homestead: Speedway Motorsports Inc. owner Bruton Smith isn't a fan of NASCAR's insistence on ending the season in South Florida. Smith likened Homestead Miami Speedway to "North Cuba," arguing it is not the "proper place" for the Sprint Cup series to end the Chase for the championship. The longtime track owner says he'd prefer NASCAR to run its final Cup race at SMI-owned Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Smith said he expects IndyCar to end the 2011 season at the 1.5-mile oval next October. Despite his protests, SMI did not make a formal request for NASCAR to add a second Las Vegas race to the 2011 schedule. Smith said it's because he doesn't believe it would make a difference.(Associated Press)(9-5-2010)

News from September 4, 2010

Hamlin wins pole at Atlanta: #11-Denny Hamlin won the Coors Pole for the Emory Healthcare 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway with a speed of 187.380mph for his 1st pole of 2010 and 8th of his career. Hamlin has now won at least one pole in 6 straight seasons. Hamlin's pole is the 50th pole for Joe Gibbs Racing. #39-Newman will start 2nd followed by #18-Busch, #14-Stewart, #99-Edwards, #56-Truex Jr., #42-Montoya, #48-Johnson, #6-Ragan and #9-Kahne.
The go-or-go homers who made the race (8): #46-McDowell, #87-Nemechek, #26-Carpentier, #38-Blaney, #36-Yeley, #55-Bliss, #21-Elliott and #13-Mears.
The go-or-go homers who failed to qualify for the race (4): #32-Leffler, #09-Cassill, #66-Riggs and #64-Bodine.
See the starting lineup, qualifying speeds and notes on my Atlanta Starting Lineup/Qualifying Results page.(9-4-2010)

Qualifying Fast Facts - Atlanta:
#11-Denny Hamlin won the Coors Light Pole Award for the Emory Healthcare 500 with a lap of 29.587 seconds, 187.380 mph.
This is his eighth pole in 176 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
This is the 50th series pole for Joe Gibbs Racing. Its first pole came in April of 1995 with Bobby Labonte at Martinsville.
This is his first pole and seventh top-10 start in 2010. Hamlin's last pole came at Auto Club Speedway in October of 2009, 30 races ago.
This is his first pole in 11 races at Atlanta Motor Speedway. His previous best start at Atlanta was fourth in October of 2006.
#39-Ryan Newman (second) posted his 14th top-10 start of 2010 and his 13th in 18 races at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
#18-Kyle Busch (third) posted his eighth top-10 start at Atlanta Motor Speedway. It is his 14th in 25 races this season.(NASCAR Statistics)(9-4-2010)

Qualifying Order for the Emory Healthcare 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway is posted. 47 cars/drivers are listed. Go-or-go homers will qualify at the end of the session, once the top-35 drivers are done.
The first of the top-35 drivers scheduled to go out is #6-Ragan.
The final top-35 driver scheduled to go out is #56-Truex Jr..
The first go-or-go homer scheduled to qualify [36th] is #66-Riggs with the final driver scheduled to qualify being #09-Cassill.
See the full qualifying order on the Atlanta Qualifying Page.(9-4-2010)

Hendrick Announcement UPDATE: Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports and Mark Martin driver of HMS' #5 Chevy, are scheduled to make an announcement at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Saturday afternoon, September 4th.(9-3-2010)UPDATE: Quaker State will continue its technical alliance with Hendrick Motorsports, increase its involvement as a primary sponsor on the #5 Chevy for four races with Mark Martin next season and enjoy a business-to-business relationship with Hendrick Automotive. The oil company will continue to provide associate sponsorship for all four Hendrick cars through 2013.(FoxSports)(9-4-2010)

Keselsowski talks about altercations: #12-Brad Keselowski diary comments:
OK. Well again, during the race you never actually retaliated against Kyle. You had plenty of opportunities to do so despite going a lap down -- why wait?
BK: "Well, I plan on being in the sport for a long time, and I didn't see any advantage of doing anything right there. If anything, with time you have the benefit or luxury of really being concise about whatever you do."
Do you feel like going forward you still "owe Kyle one," so to speak? And do you feel restricted there because you're on NASCAR probation the rest of the season?
BK: "The difference between me and Carl and me and Kyle is that me and Carl generally have a respect for each other outside the car. I think Carl's a good person outside the car. I'm not so sure about Kyle. I don't talk to Kyle outside the car or anywhere else, so..."(Sports Illustrated)(9-4-2010)

Labonte and TaxSlayer.com Racing for a Cause This Weekend: This weekend, Bobby Labonte will be behind the wheel of the #71 TaxSlayer.com Chevy for Sunday night's Emory Healthcare 500 at the Atlanta. For team sponsor, TaxSlayer.com, the race will have special meaning. The primary sponsor of Labonte and the TRG Motorsports team will place a special decal on the "C post" to support and give tribute to Lisa Murray, a dear friend to the TaxSlayer.com family who is currently undergoing treatment for colon cancer.
Murray, who was diagnosed with colon cancer this past April, is not only a passionate race fan, but an extended member of the TaxSlayer.com family. Murray and her family planned to attend the race this weekend as a part of TaxSlayer.com and their "Family and Friends" day. Unfortunately, part of Murray's treatment includes surgery which she will undergo this Thursday at the Mayo Clinic, making her unable to attend the race weekend. TaxSlayer.com, along with the Bobby Labonte Foundation, will obtain the participating driver signatures of Sunday's Emory Healthcare 500 on a race helmet to be auctioned off at a later date on eBay, with 100% of the proceeds going to the American Cancer Society in her honor. Along with the helmet, all guests this weekend of TaxSlayer.com will be sporting orange bracelets with the "Murray's March" slogan. TaxSlayer.com is a subsidiary of Rhodes Financial Services and is based in Augusta (Ga.) Murray is also a resident of Augusta.(TRG Motorsports)(9-4-2010)

News from September 3, 2010

Some Chassis selections for Atlanta:#1-Jamie McMurray: Crew Chief Kevin “Bono” Manion and the #1 McDonald’s Chevy team has elected to bring a brand new chassis #1016 this weekend to the Atlanta Motor Speedway.#2-Kurt Busch and his Steve Addington-led “Blue Deuce” team will be racing their “PRS-704” Miller Lite Dodge this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The team debuted this car on Feb. 21 at Auto Club Speedway, where Busch started 12th and finished sixth. This chassis was utilized one other time since then when Busch started fourth and finished sixth in the June 6 race at Pocono Raceway.#5-Mark Martin: crew chief Alan Gustafson has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-550 for Sunday night's race at Atlanta. Martin drove this chassis to an 11th-place finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last month and to a seventh-place finish at Pocono Raceway the following week. Sunday's race will be Martin's 50th Cup start at Atlanta Motor Speedway.#6-David Ragan: Primary: RK-617 Last ran Chicago – finished 12th; Backup: RK-620 Last ran Vegas – finished 23rd. The Roswell Center (SLIC – 3034) in the South Atlantic District was selected as the UPS Maximum Center for the September NASCAR race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The Roswell Center is the number one rated center in Georgia and is recognized for its exceptional service performance.#12-Brad Keselowski: The #12 Penske Dodge Charger team will use chassis PRS-733 during Sunday night’s Emory Healthcare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Keselowski drove this chassis to a 20th-place finish at Pocono Raceway in August.#14-Tony Stewart: Chassis No. 14-515: This car is a carryover chassis from the former Haas CNC team, but it was essentially rebuilt since failing to qualify for the November 2008 race at Texas. Prior to Texas, Chassis No. 14-515 made two starts, with its debut coming in August at Michigan finishing 31st with Tony Raines driving. Raines was again at the wheel at Kansas finishing 23rd. The 2009 Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte marked the third career start with Stewart at the controls to take the car’s first victory as well as the first win of any kind for Stewart-Haas Racing. Last year’s Brickyard 400 was the car’s first point-paying start of 2009, where it qualified seventh and led two laps before finishing a solid third. In 2010 it was run at Darlington where Stewart finished 23rd. The chassis returned to the track at Pocono in August finishing second.#17-Matt Kenseth: Primary: RK-694 (Last raced at Indianapolis). This weekend at Atlanta, Kenseth will pilot the #17 Crown Royal Black Ford Fusion.#18-Kyle Busch: Chassis No. 274: Sunday night’s Emory Healthcare 500 will be the second-ever start for No. 274. This maiden voyage for this chassis came in the July Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where Busch started 23rd and brought home a solid eighth-place finish.#19-Elliott Sadler: The #19 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 280 for this weekend’s event. This is the same Ford Fusion the team utilized for the Indianapolis event, the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte and the spring event in Atlanta. #20-Joey Logano: and the #20 Home Depot Team is taking chassis #281 this weekend for the Emory Healthcare 500. This is a new chassis for the team that will make its debut this weekend. The back-up chassis is #272 which has competed in three races in 2010: Chicagoland (18th), Charlotte (16th) and in June at Michigan (10th). Welcome aboard The Home Depot associates from store # 8452 from Hadley, Mass., and store #6978 from Suwanee, Ga. The store numbers will ride along with Logano on The Home Depot Toyota this weekend at Atlanta.#29-Kevin Harvick: will pilot Chassis No. 288 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. Earlier in the year, this Chevy scored a win at Michigan in August. Additionally, Harvick scored runner-up finishes at Indianapolis and at Auto Club, finished ninth at Atlanta, and finished seventh at Dover. The Shell-Pennzoil team raced this chassis three times in the latter part of the 2009 season, finishing 18th at Charlotte, fifth at Texas and third at Homestead.#31-Jeff Burton: will race Chassis No. 314 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This is a brand new Caterpillar Impala that will be put through its initial paces this weekend.#33-Clint Bowyer: will pilot Chassis No. 310 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. Built new in 2010, Bowyer drove this Chevrolet Impala to fourth-place finish in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July.#42-Juan Pablo Montoya: Crew Chief Brian Pattie and the #42 team are bringing chassis #1003 to Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend, marking the third race of the season for this chassis. Montoya previously ran this chassis at Chicagoland where he qualified 10th and finished 16th and in the Coke 600 where he finished 38th due to an on-track incident.#43-A.J. Allmendinger: The #43 RPM team led by crew chief Mike Shiplett has prepared chassis No. 276 for this weekend’s event at Atlanta Motor Speedway. This car was run on two other occasions this season. Allmendinger drove it in the Indianapolis and Martinsville events.#48-Jimmie Johnson: Chassis No. 592 will be the primary for Sunday night's event. Johnson last piloted that car to a 10th-place finish at Pocono in July. Back up chassis No. 553 has collected three wins in four starts – the most recent coming at Auto Club Speedway in February.#88-Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Crew chief Lance McGrew and the #88 engineers will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-612. This is a brand new chassis that has not been raced.#98-Paul Menard: Crew chief Slugger Labbe and the #98 RPM crew have prepared chassis No. 683 for this weekend’s event. This is the same car the team ran at both events at Michigan, the May Charlotte races and the Auto Club Speedway race early in the season.#99-Carl Edwards: The #99 will carry the silver Aflac paint scheme at Atlanta this weekend. The #99 crew will unload RK-702 which is a brand new Ford Fusion.(from team PR's/sites if reported)(9-3-2010)

Hendrick Announcement: Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports and Mark Martin driver of HMS' #5 Chevy, are scheduled to make an announcement at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Saturday afternoon, September 4th.(9-3-2010)

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion’s Week Set For Las Vegas Return: Following last season’s successful debut of Champion’s Week in Las Vegas, NASCAR is bringing the party back in December, capped by the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Ceremony, scheduled for Friday, Dec. 3 at one of the city’s premier resorts, Wynn Las Vegas. SPEED will once again provide same day coverage. Other details regarding the event, such as entertainment planned, will be announced in the near future. The ceremony will culminate several days of whirlwind activity involving not only the series champion, but also the other drivers who finished in the top 12 of the series’ final standings and qualified for NASCAR’s “playoffs” – the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. For the second consecutive year, fans will join drivers, team owners and industry leaders in celebrating the NASCAR Sprint Cup champion at the awards ceremony. Approximately 300 tickets are available to fans, which are being distributed by tracks, NASCAR partners and teams through various fan promotions. Fan tickets will offer fans the many Champion's Week experiences.(in part from a NASCAR PR), see full press release, a rundown of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion’s Week activities and more on my 2010 NASCAR Awards page.(9-3-2010)

Four straight wins for Kyle Busch, going for record: The fourth consecutive NASCAR win at Chicagoland was the second time this season Busch has accomplished the feat, matching his sweep of the Nationwide and Sprint Cup races at Dover in May, followed by Truck Series and Nationwide wins at Charlotte. It put Busch alongside Billy Wade (1964), David Pearson (1966 and 1968), Cale Yarborough (1976), Darrell Waltrip (1981) and Mark Martin (1993) as four-time winners in consecutive NASCAR events.
With Busch entered in all three NASCAR National events this weekend [Trucks at Kentucky and Nationwide & Sprint Cup at Atlanta], Busch could find himself having leapfrogged past another handful of legendary NASCAR competitors on the all-time winning streak list. Should Busch emerge victorious at Kentucky, he’ll join Fred Lorenzen (1964), Richard Petty (1971), Bobby Allison (1971) and Pearson (1973) with five wins in a row. Saturday’s Nationwide race could then put Busch alongside Harry Gant (1991) with a six-race winning streak. And Sunday’s Emory Healthcare 500 would then be Busch’s opportunity to make it seven wins in a row and join Mark Martin (1993) with the second-longest streak in history. Petty’s 10-race streak of Sprint Cup wins in 1967 is the longest.(JGR)(9-2-2010)

Sam Bass Creates 50th Anniversary Cover For AMS: This Sunday marks a special event in Atlanta Motor Speedway history. The Emory Healthcare 500 marks the speedway ’s 50th year of hosting NASCAR’s top series, and as part of the celebration track officials have asked Sam Bass, NASCAR’s top artist to illustrate the souvenir program cover. Bass began creating souvenir program cover art for Atlanta Motor Speedway in 1993 and has completed a dozen cover illustrations to date, including this week’s 50th anniversary cover. Appearances by Bass, more info and an image at Sambass.com.(9-3-2010)

Kirk Shelmerdine Racing Assets to be Sold at Public Auction:Kirk Shelmerdine will sell his current race team assets at public auction on September 14th. Shelmerdine is best known for his role as crew chief for Dale Earnhardt from 1984 until 1992. After his successful campaign with Earnhardt and Richard Childress, Kirk decided to retire, and later became a Cup series driver and team owner. For mnore info, links and comments by Shelmerdine, see my Racing Auctions News and Links page.(9-3-2010)

January testing back at Daytona? hearing that the Sprint Cup Series will test the new pavement at Daytona International Speedway in January, likely in mid to late January 2011. Supposedly all Sprint Cup teams will be allowed to test. DIS is currently in week 9 of repaving the 2 1/2 mile track.(9-3-2010)

Back to the 'regular' scheme for Kurt Busch: After running the special Miller Lite "Vortex" color scheme in all the races dating back to the "All Star" race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 22, Kurt Busch will be behind the wheel of a #2 Penske Racing Dodge adorned with the "regular" Miller Lite color scheme for several races beginning with this weekend at Atlanta. "We'll go back to what we were running during the first race at Atlanta and run that for a couple of races," said Busch. "We have another special color scheme we'll roll out during the Chase."(Tom Roberts PR), see images of the regular and Vortex schemes on my #2 Team Schemes page.(9-3-2010)

Ambrose Voted Best V8 Supercar Driver Ever: As a part of V8X magazines 10-year celebration, motorsports journalists have rated NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver #47-Marcos Ambrose as the best V8 Supercar driver ever. "It's just an honor to receive this kind of recognition," Ambrose humbly stated. "I really want to thank V8X magazine and the motorsport journalists who voted for me. I love the V8 Supercar Series and I have so many fond memories. I'm proud to have been able to be a part of its history." The magazine states that journalists were polled on 'who was – or is – the best driver in the sport' and 'who they thought laid it all on the line'. Ambrose's V8 Supercar stats are impressive. He has 28 race wins to his credit along with 18 pole positions and the Barry Sheene Medal in his Championship winning years of 2003 and 2004. Ambrose, branded the 'Devil Racer', bid farewell to the V8 Supercar Series in 2005 to go across the pond and pursue a career in NASCAR.(JTG Daugherty Racing)(9-3-2010)

Week 9 Daytona Repave Update: Paving Moves To The High Banks: The crew from Lane Construction began the most challenging aspect of the 2010 Daytona Repave on Thursday morning – putting new asphalt on the steep 31-degree high banks of Daytona International Speedway. Workers paved the drainage layer in Turns 3 and 4, the first of four layers that will make up the 2.5-mile tri-oval. The crew completed the first 21-foot wide pass late Thursday and will pave the bottom 21-foot pass on Friday or Saturday. Paving of the other layers of asphalt in the Turn 3 and 4 high banks will continue through next week.
Other highlights from the ninth week of work on repaving Daytona International Speedway include:
· Installation of the underdrain pipe and trench on frontstretch
· The milling of asphalt on pit road has started
· Paving of the overlay on the existing Supersuperstrech skid pad has begun
· Jeff Burton, driver of the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, has scheduled a visit for next week to view all the progress on the project and assist Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III in burying a time capsule near the start/finish line.
Lane Construction, which repaved other ISC race tracks including Talladega Superspeedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway, Richmond International Raceway and Darlington Raceway, will use an estimated 50,000 tons of asphalt to repave more than 1.4 million square feet of Daytona International Speedway and has a target completion date of Jan. 1, 2011. Race fans can view the progression of the historic repaving project from a section of the Oldfield Grandstands, which will open free to the public. Track tours will also be available through attraction admission to Daytona 500 Experience.(DIS)(9-3-2010)

Post-9/11 GI Bill Named Presenting Sponsor for Richmond: Richmond International Raceway president Doug Fritz announced the Post-9/11 GI Bill has partnered with America's Premier Short Track as the presenting sponsor of the upcoming NASCAR Doubleheader weekend. Titled the Post-9/11 GI Bill NASCAR Weekend at Richmond, the September 10-11 event weekend will feature the Saturday night Air Guard 400 Sprint Cup Series race and the Friday night Virginia 529 College Savings 250 Nationwide Series race.
The Post-9/11 GI Bill, passed by Congress in 2008, provides financial support for education and housing to veteran service men and women, and allows every eligible veteran, service member, reservist and National Guard member an opportunity to receive undergraduate and graduate degrees, as well as vocational and technical training. The program includes payments for tuition and fees; housing allowance; a books and supplies stipend; tutorial assistance; licensing and certification test reimbursement; and the Yellow Ribbon Program, a plan which allows private colleges the ability to match government funds. In addition to the presenting sponsorship, Veteran Affairs, Educational Services representatives will staff an informational display during race weekend in the Midway for anyone interested in learning more about the Post-9/11 GI Bill. For additional information, visit the Post-9/11 GI Bill online www.gibill.va.gov or call 1-888-442-4551. Tickets are on sale now, including a limited number of $40 seats, and can be purchased on www.rir.com or by calling 866-455-RACE (7223).(RIR)(9-3-2010)

News from September 2, 2010

Robby Gordon to run off-road race this weekend: Robby Gordon is scheduled to run in the Traxxas TORC Series race at Crandon Off Road International Raceway, running in the PRO 2WD class. Gordon raced in the World Championship race last year. After starting on the pole, he led several laps and was poised for the win, but a late-race incident took him out of contention. He finished with style, however, after getting hit near the AMSOIL Finish Line, crossing the stripe in reverse. "I am looking forward to competing this weekend for the second year in a row at Crandon," said Gordon, who nearly won the NASCAR Nationwide Series race this past weekend in Montreal. "In 2009, we qualified on the pole and finished sixth bouncing back and forth between Atlanta and Crandon. In 2010, I am excited to bring the Speed Factory and Polaris PRO 2 to compete for the entire race weekend activities. Crandon is place that I love to come to race as the track is wide and fast and provides plenty of opportunity for exciting racing." This weekend, champions in all the PRO and Sportsman divisions will be crowned and race fans can see it live via online streaming and information about the series/schedule at TORCSeries.com.(TORC)(9-2-2010)

Aaron's To Sponsor Michael Waltrip at Talladega: Aaron's, Inc. will sponsor driver Michael Waltrip at Talladega Superspeedway on Oct. 31 as part of its 55th anniversary celebration. The two-time Daytona 500 champion and former Talladega winner returns to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driving the #55 Toyota fielded by his Michael Waltrip Racing organization. Waltrip drove the Aaron's 55th anniversary paint scheme at Talladega in April in a Toyota fielded by Prism Motorsports. He started last but led laps 31-34 before a multi-car crash ended his race. Waltrip also finished 18th in the 2010 Daytona 500. "If the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series raced every weekend at Talladega and Daytona I'd still be driving full-time," laughed Waltrip. "That's how much I like those tracks and restrictor plate racing. The only place better than sitting in the stands or watching a restrictor plate race on television is behind the wheel of the Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota." Aaron's sponsorship of this race program is designed to develop awareness of Aaron's 55th Anniversary Super Sweepstakes with scratch-off chances to win every month through November 2010 and grand prize drawings in December including multiple chances to win a Toyota Camry Hybrid. People may pick up a game card each month at any of Aaron's 1,700+ stores. And they should register their game cards each month at Aarons.com/55.(MWR), see images of the scheme on my #55 Team Schemes page.(9-2-2010)

Crew changes at Front Row: A Front Row Motorsports crew chief swap will put NASCAR veteran Peter Sospenzo at the helm of the #37 Taco Bell Ford team of David Gilliland beginning this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Randy Seals, who previously led Gilliland's team, will call the shots for teammate Dave Blaney in the #38 A&W All American Food Ford. The team and pit crew working under each crew chief will switch also.(FRM/Breaking Limits)(9-2-2010)

#2 team tests at Milwaukee: In their effort to be as prepared as possible for the upcoming Sept. 19 return to New Hampshire Motor Speedway and the other "flat-track" races remaining during the 2010 season, Kurt Busch and his Steve Addington-led #2 Miller Lite Dodge Team spent Aug. 23-24 testing at the Milwaukee Mile. "We had all three drivers and teams there and brought up our R & D guys, too," said crew chief Addington. "It was time well spent and will hopefully help us quite a bit on down the line. One of the unique things we did was to put Kurt, Sam and Brad in and out of the same car for 30-lap runs. We got some great feedback from all of them and it will certainly be useful in deciding what direction we head in determining what cars that we bring to the races when the Chase kicks in – when all the marbles are on the line. One of the biggest bonuses came after hours, though. Our friends at MillerCoors were kind enough to set us up with a special hard-hat tour of the brewery there in Milwaukee."(Tom Roberts PR)(9-2-2010)

NASCAR considering multi-car qualifying next year? The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series has implemented a multi-truck qualifying system in recent weeks [first used at Pocono and scheduled for use again this weekend at Kentucky] which is reportedly being considered for both the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series next year. The format calls for two vehicles on track simultaneously in an effort to speed up the qualifying session with the order of time trials based on the last practice session starting with the slowest time and progressing to the truck with the fastest lap.(CBS Sports)(9-2-2010)

NMPA to induct three into Hall of Fame: Champion driver Dale Jarrett, famed crew chief and engine builder Waddell Wilson and renowned journalist Tom Higgins will be inducted into the National Motorsports Press Association's Hall of Fame in January. All three were selected on more than 65 percent of the ballots cast by NMPA members to earn induction into the Hall of Fame. Wilson was selected on 70 percent of the ballots. Higgins was selected on 68 percent of the ballots, and Jarrett was selected on 66 percent of the ballots. "Our members have selected another outstanding class to the NMPA Hall of Fame,'' said NMPA President Dustin Long. "These three men have impacted the sport on the track, in the garage and in the media center. Their contributions are significant.'' Those who received votes but did not reach the 65 percent mark for induction were Tiny Lund, Joe Gibbs, Hal Hamrick, Les Richter, L.D. Ottinger, Lloyd Moore, Donnie Allison, Len Wood, Jim Hunter and Louise Smith.(NMPA)(9-2-2010)

Invocation and Flyover for Atlanta announced: Joe Gibbs Racing owner and Super Bowl winning NFL coach Joe Gibbs will give the pre-race invocation prior to the running of the Emory Healthcare 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series night race at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday, Sept. 5. Gibbs' pre-race invocation will be followed by the National Anthem performed by Ernie Haase & Signature Sound, with a flyover featuring four F-15 C/D Eagle fighter jets from the 159th Fighter Wing of the United States Air Force/Air National Guard stationed at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans in Belle Chasse, La. The F-15 C/D Eagle fighter jets will also perform the flyover for Saturday's Great Clips 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series night race. Gibbs has won three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championships as a NASCAR team owner, in addition to winning three NFL Super Bowls as head coach of the Washington Redskins. In addition to his interest in professional sports, Gibbs is active in Christian ministry and founded Youth for Tomorrow, a residential youth home, private school, and teen counseling center, in 1986.
For more information or to purchase tickets, contact the Atlanta Motor Speedway Ticket Office at (770) 946-4211, (877) 9-AMS-TIX, or visit www.atlantamotorspeedway.com.(AMS)(9-2-2010)

News from September 1, 2010

NASCAR Sprint Cup Live in Prime Time from Atlanta: The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races for 500 miles in prime time under the lights at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday night, Sept. 5, and ESPN will have a live telecast of the event. The NASCAR Countdown pre-race show kicks off the evening at 7:00pm/et with the race telecast at 7:30pm/et and the race's green flag is scheduled for 7:46 pm/et. Marty Reid will call the action with analysis by Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree. Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage, while pit reporters will be Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Mike Massaro and Dr. Jerry Punch. NASCAR Countdown from the ESPN pit studio will be hosted by Allen Bestwick with analysis by Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty. The studio team will interact with the booth during the telecast of the race.

NASCAR docu-series debuts tonight: Changing Lanes is a unique and exciting new competition docu-series chronicling the search for the next generation of women and minority race car drivers in America's most-watched form of motorsports. The series follows a group of hopefuls as they compete for a coveted spot on Max Siegel's NASCAR Revolution Racing team and debuts Wednesday, Sept. 1 at 8:00pm/et on BET. More info at BET.com.(9-1-2010)

Sadler should know 2011 plans in "2-3 weeks": #19-Elliott Sadler told Sirius NASCAR Radio's Sirius Speedway with Dave Moody Tuesday that he expects to know his future plans within the next 2-3 weeks. Sadler is unlikely to return to Richard Petty Motorsports in 2011, after co-owner Richard Petty said the team is likely to scale back to just two cars next season with drivers AJ Allmendinger and Marcos Ambrose. Sadler's current sponsor, Stanley Tools, will back Ambrose next season. "I have really enjoyed running up front in the Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series' these last few weeks," said Sadler, "and I'm hopeful that within the next couple of weeks, I can say, `Dave, this is what I'm going to do in 2011.' I'm not necessarily saying I'll be in the Nationwide or Trucks, though. I am also talking to Sprint Cup team that is looking at the possibility of expanding with an additional car next season. We'll see what happens."(Sirius Speedway)(9-1-2010)

New sponsor for Montoya at AMS: Juan Pablo Montoya and the #42 team will welcome a new sponsor this weekend at Atlanta, Huggies. This will mark the first appearance for both Kimberly Clark and its brand Huggies in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series on the #42 Chevy (EGR), see an image of the scheme on my #42 Team Schemes page.(9-1-2010)

FordParts.com scheme returns for Elliott: For the second time this season, Wood Brothers Racing will switch from their familiar red-and-white Motorcraft schemes to the blue-and-white colors of FordParts.com at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Launched in June, FordParts.com allows repair shops, body shops, fleets, and do-it-yourselfers to order Genuine Ford and Motorcraft parts online. Earlier this summer, Bill Elliott raced his #21 FordParts.com Ford Fusion during the Michigan International Speedway race in mid-June. Elliott qualified 29th and finished the NASCAR event in the 28th position. Every part available on FordParts.com is recommended by Ford Motor Company and features the trusted Genuine Parts or Motorcraft brand name. From air-conditioning compressors to wire sets – it's the right fit for any Ford, Lincoln or Mercury vehicle.(Ford Racing), see an image of the scheme on my #21 Team Schemes page.(9-1-2010)

Emory Healthcare to Conduct Free Health Screenings in Display Lot:Emory Healthcare, the title sponsor of the Emory Healthcare 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series night race at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday, Sept. 5, will conduct free health care screenings in the Atlanta Motor Speedway Display Lot during the Emory Healthcare 500 race weekend. Bringing a pit crew of healthcare volunteers to Henry County for the Emory Healthcare 500, Emory will conduct three varieties of screenings on the Atlanta Motor Speedway property, plus provide wellness information on smoking cessation and general health and wellness. These screenings will include blood pressure screenings, body mass index (BMI) screenings, and head, neck and skin cancer screenings.(AMS)(9-1-2010)

National Anthem Singer Announced for Atlanta Cup race: Grammy-nominated Ernie Haase & Signature Sound will perform the National Anthem prior to the Emory Healthcare 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series night race at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday, Sept. 5. The patriotic pre-race event will feature the group performing the National Anthem, preceded by, "I Pledge My Allegiance." The group will be joined by a choir from Hampton First Baptist Church in Hampton. During the performance, local families of fallen military members will join EHSS in the Atlanta Motor Speedway Infield where they will help display a vast American flag to honor America's soldiers. In addition to Sunday's performance by EHSS, the pre-race National Anthem for the Great Clips 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series night race on Saturday, Sept. 4 will be performed by the Song of Atlanta Show Chorus. The Song of Atlanta Show Chorus is a group of more than 100 women of all ages dedicated to celebrating the art of barbershop-style music. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact the Atlanta Motor Speedway Ticket Office at (770) 946-4211, (877) 9-AMS-TIX, or visit www.atlantamotorspeedway.com.(AMS)(9-1-2010)